Lupus is a chronic disease with no cure. It particularly afflicts young women, who can suffer from this disease throughout their lives. A variety of organs are typically affected, including the kidneys, skin, brain and/or blood.

Antibodies, mediators of immune responses that normally target infectious agents, are thought to be the main culprits, since in lupus they attack targets which belong to the body rather than foreign invaders. Therefore, they are causing damage to various organs, tissues and body cells.

How these so-called autoimmune reactions arise remains largely unknown. What is known is that microbes within our bodies influence the immune system and autoimmune diseases in animal models. We identified bacteria that usually live in the gut but are capable of breaking through the gut barrier and reaching internal organs such as lymph nodes, liver and spleen of animals. In these organs, they promote autoimmune reactions similar to lupus.

TransLuMi = Translocating Lupus Microbiomes