article: intestinal pathogens linked to flaring in 1/3 UC people (higher for Crohns)

Is it safe to assume that most doctors test for these? Something else has to be going on as healthy controls can test positive and have no symptoms. Interesting stuff.

dont confuse pathogens and etiology

with sysbiosis of gut microbes, it is entirely expected that several bad microbes, normally kept in check by a healthy ecology of microbes, get increased expression

at the same time, I have always suspected that some symptoms (if not some flares) were low level c.diff that never tested positive. but I am NOT saying it is a causal agent of IBD.

To me, the last two paragraphs stand out. Nice to see the line of thinking both changing and picking up pace.

the article said...
Dr. Cominelli said the study is relevant “because at the end of the day, we know the increased prevalence of IBD is likely related to environment. So infections we haven’t identified or detected may be in play.”

He cited the lesson of Helicobacter pylori. “For a long time, we had no idea that the H. pylori bacterium caused the majority of ulcers. We cannot discount the possibility that at least in a subgroup of patients there is a specific infection that’s triggering or causing IBD. We should always be open to the idea.”