Re: Can rheumatoid arthritis be caused by a 'spore like' mycoplasma?

Good Day Allan,
 I am including the following links on arthritis since I think it will help 
you  to understand the problems associated with treatment, causes and cures 
associated with the debilitating effects of rheumatoid arthritis.

http://www.pslgroup.com/ARTHRITIS.HTM
http://pharminfo.com/disease/ra/ra-site.html
http://mayohealth.org/mayo/9809/htm/rheu.htm

To get back to your original question, "Can rheumatoid arthritis be caused 
by a 'spore like' mycoplasma?". Yes , current research tends to believe 
that mycoplasma may be implicated as a cause of rheumatoid arthritis. But, 
mycoplasmas do not form spores, they are organisms that differ from other 
bacteria in that they lack a rigid cell wall.  Because the organism lacks a 
cell wall antibiotics such as the Penicillins, and Cephalosorins are 
inactive in treating this bug.  However, the tetracyclines , (ie 
Minocycline)is effective since their mode of action is interference with 
protein synthesis.

In the 1930's, a bacterial cause for rheumatoid arthritis was investigated
but the research was short-lived . About  1939, the first real lead 
regarding an infectious cause for rheumatoid arthritis arose when 
mycoplasma, an atypical viral-like bacteria, was isolated from the exudate 
and tissue of rheumatic patients.
Investigators had already shown that mycoplasmas cause arthritis in mice,
rats, chickens, goats, and cows. They had found mycoplasmas in the
genitourinary tracts of humans too, especially females.
In 1950 Thomas McPherson Brown, M.D. and colleagues at the Arthritis 
research uinit obtained one of the first grants offered in arthritis
Research by the NIH. The following year Brown et al reported that the 
Rheumatoid disease mechanism was more of an immunologic reaction of antigen 
and antibody (with mycoplasma as the suspected antigen) rather than the
infectious and transmissible type.
In 1955, the research unit reported that mycoplasmas, unlike bacteria and
viruses could live in tissue cell cultures without destroying the tissue 
cells.
To further support mycoplasmas as a causative agent/antigen, in 1964 a
high incidence of mycoplasma antibodies in the blood of rheumatoid
arthritis patients and lupus patients was found, indicating current or
previous infection. Also recognized was a 4:1 higher incidence of
mycoplasma antibodies in females suggesting a correlation with the higher
incidences of rheumatoid arthritis in females.
So , there you have it, I hope this fully answers your question. Thankyou 
for taking the time to send in a question to the Mad Scientists Network.

June Wingert RM (NRM)
Baylor College of Medicine
Department of Comparative Medicine
Houston, Texas