Jonathan Wilhoite Blog: New Research On Crohn’s Disease Show Hope For Treatment

Friday, September 30, 2016

New Research On Crohn’s Disease Show Hope For Treatment

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A breakthrough from the research team of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine suggests good results for those who are diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

Crohn’s disease is a serious condition. This involves the inflammation of the different areas of the gastrointestinal tract. The patient exhibits symptoms of abdominal cramps and pain, diarrhea, fatigue, and weight loss. Although research is ongoing, there is no exact cure available for the disease which can result to severe complications.

The research has found some clues as to what causes the disease. This can initiate efforts in finding new treatments and possibly a cure.

The reasons that contribute to the cause of the disease are not known however, experts state that bacteria, hereditary and environmental factors play a great role.

In addition to the list, the new study found another factor: fungi.

The study’s senior author, Mahmoud A. Ghannoum, PhD, professor and director of the Center for Medical Mycology at Case Western Reserve and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, said to CBS News, “Most of the studies that have looked at this disease looked at bacteria only.”

The author continued, “We looked at both bacteria and fungi because it is very well known that these organisms both live in our body and definitely interact with one another. So to look at bacteria alone, we didn’t really have the full story.”

The researchers gathered 20 fecal samples from patients diagnosed with Crohn’s, and 28 from patients who do not have this disease (these samples came from nine families). Aside from this, they added 21 samples from four other families that were Crohn’s-free. These subjects were from France and Belgium.

The study showed that there were interactions between fungi and bacteria for those with Crohn’s. The culprits were the bacteria: E. coli and Serratia marcescens, and the fungus called Candida tropicalis. It appears that for the patients with the disease, the presence of these three are remarkably higher. It appears that these three interact with each other in the intestines.

The research results indicated that this is the first occurrence for the bacteria Serratia marcescens and any type of fungus to be linked to Crohn’s in humans.

The researchers discovered through test-tube research that the microorganisms coordinate with each other to create a biofilm that results to inflammation and the cause of the disease.

Ghannoum said, “These organisms have evolved together so that they can operate to protect each other and at the same time cause problems to the host, or the patient.”

The study concluded that for sick patients, they had a reduced number of good bacteria in their intestines compared to healthier patients.

Ghannoum also added, “Among hundreds of bacterial and fungal species inhabiting the intestines, it is telling that the three we identified were so highly correlated in Crohn’s patients.” The author continued, “Furthermore, we found strong similarities in what may be called the ‘gut profiles’ of the Crohn’s-affected families, which were strikingly different from the Crohn’s-free families.”

The author wanted to emphasize that conclusions about the bacterial and fungal interaction must not be finalized since there are other numerous factors that should be considered. These factors include family lifestyles like diet and environment.

Ghannoum stated, “We also looked at healthy people and found what are the good bugs, or microorganisms, that keep the balance.” He added, “So now we want to see if we can use some of these good bugs to control the bad ones.”

The author said that studying how the bad microorganisms work together can influence the advancement of a drug that is capable of cutting or disrupting the connection.

Ghannoum is determined to proceed with the research study. He is hopeful that his team will be able to come up with new ways to treat Crohn’s disease.

He said, “I think that within five years, with a bit of luck, we’ll be able to move into what’s called translational research which means you take your research findings and start working to develop a drug or probiotic.”

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