Researchers Identify Gut Bacteria that May Be Linked to MS Risk

Source: National MS Society

Research out of the Max Planck Institute in Germany showed that specific types of bacteria living in the human gut may be linked to MS susceptibility.The cause of MS is not known, and scientists believe that a mix of genetic and environmental factors trigger the disease. Through the Munich MS Twin Study, researchers studied pairs of identical twins, where one twin had MS and the other did not. Because twins have identical genes, this allowed researchers to study non-genetic differences that could play a role in the disease.They found more than 50 types of gut bacteria that were present in different amounts between the twin with MS and the healthy twin. When bacteria from the small intestine of these twins were transferred to mice that are genetically prone to develop MS-like symptoms, the mice that received bacteria from the twin with MS were more likely to get sick. The study identified two specific types of bacteria that appeared to trigger the disease in mice.These and other studies of factors contributing to MS risk could one day lead to strategies that could prevent MS. MS prevention is one of the pillars of the Society’s Pathways to Cures Research Roadmap.

Additional Resources:Learn more from the Max Planck Institute press release, here.The International MS Microbiome Study aims to understand the role of gut bacteria in MS and is currently recruiting individuals with all types of MS. Learn more about participating in this study.“Multiple sclerosis and gut microbiota: Lachnospiraceae from the ileum of MS twins trigger MS-like disease in germfree transgenic mice—An unbiased functional study” by Hongsup Yoon, Lisa Ann Gerdes, Florian Beigele, Yihui Sunf, Janine Kövilein, Jiancheng Wang, Tanja Kuhlmann, Andrea Flierl-Hecht, Dirk Haller, Reinhard Hohlfeld, Sergio E. Baranzini, Hartmut Wekerle, and Anneli Peters. Published in PNAS (2025).