An increased abundance of Clostridiaceae characterizes arthritis in inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis: a cross-sectional study

The aim of the study was to investigate the compositional and functional features that characterize the gut microbiota of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-associated arthropathy. We selected IBD patients without arthritis as controls for joint inflammation, RA patients without IBD as controls for inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract, and healthy individuals without IBD or RA as overall controls. We obtained extensive clinical metadata to allow us to make meaningful comparisons and account for potential clinical confounders. We found potential microbial features associated with IBD-associated arthropathy, as well as features common to both RA and IBD-associated arthropathy that are suggestive of a global role in joint inflammation.