In a study recently conducted by a team at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), an unprecedented discovery was made about the involvement of Salmonella biofilm in causing autoimmune responses and arthritis in animals. Previously thought to only form biofilms in the environment, researchers were stunned to find newly formed Salmonella biofilms in mice intestines during an infection study.
The biofilm contained a protein called “curli,” a special type of amyloid that is similar to those associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s in humans. Scientists have yet to discover how these diseases start but have speculated that something “triggers” the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the body. Aaron White, lead scientist of the study, believes that this discovery could “point to a potentially infectious cause for these diseases.”
Collaborators from Temple University determined that the presence of curli led to autoimmunity and arthritis in mice within six weeks of the infection. Both conditions are also known complications of Salmonella infections in humans. Researchers believe that the next step to understanding curli’s role in the initiation or progression of amyloid disorders is to confirm that this also occurs in humans and to test if other food-borne pathogens can cause similar reactions.
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