GESPIC

Spondyloarthritis, acute anterior uveitis, and Crohns disease have both shared and distinct gut microbiotaObjectives: Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of immune-mediated diseases highly concomitant with non-musculoskeletal inflammatory disorders, such as acute anterior uveitis (AAU) and Crohns disease (CD). The gut microbiome represents a promising avenue to elucidate shared and distinct underlying pathophysiology. Method: We performed 16S rRNA sequencing on stool samples of 277 patients (72 CD, 103 AAU, and 102 SpA) included in the German Spondyloarthritis Inception Cohort (GESPIC) and 62 back pain controls without any inflammatory disorder. Discriminatory statistical methods were used to disentangle microbial disease signals from one another and a wide range of potential confounders. Patients were naive to or had not received treatment with biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs for at least three months before enrollment, providing a better approximation of a true baseline disease signal.