Multiple Sclerosis and Clostridium perfringens Epsilon Toxin: Is There a Relationship?

Huss, André; Bachhuber, Franziska; Feraudet-Tarisse, Cécile; Hiergeist, Andreas; Tumani, Hayrettin

doi:10.3390/biomedicines12071392

Open AccessArticle

Multiple Sclerosis and Clostridium perfringens Epsilon Toxin: Is There a Relationship?

by

André Huss

^1,†

,

Franziska Bachhuber

^1,†,

Cécile Feraudet-Tarisse

²

,

Andreas Hiergeist

³

and

Hayrettin Tumani

^1,*

¹

Department of Neurology, University Hospital Ulm, 89081 Ulm, Germany

²

CEA, INRAE, Medicines and Healthcare Technologies Department (DMTS), SPI, Paris-Saclay University, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France

³

Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Medical Center, 93053 Regensburg, Germany

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Biomedicines 2024, 12(7), 1392; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12071392

Submission received: 7 May 2024 / Revised: 18 June 2024 / Accepted: 20 June 2024 / Published: 23 June 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue 10th Anniversary of Biomedicines—Advances in Multiple Sclerosis)

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Abstract

Recent research has suggested a link between multiple sclerosis and the gut microbiota. This prospective pilot study aimed to investigate the composition of the gut microbiota in MS patients, the presence of Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin in the serum of MS patients, and the influence of disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) on epsilon toxin levels and on the microbiota. Epsilon toxin levels in blood were investigated by two methods, a qualitative ELISA and a highly sensitive quantitative ELISA. Neither epsilon toxin nor antibodies against it were detected in the analyzed serum samples. 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing was applied to obtain insights into the composition of the gut microbiota of MS patients. No significant differences in the quantity, diversity, and the relative abundance of fecal microbiota were observed in the gut microbiota of MS patients receiving various DMDs, including teriflunomide, natalizumab, ocrelizumab, and fingolimod, or no therapy. The present study did not provide evidence supporting the hypothesis of a causal relationship between Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin and multiple sclerosis.

Keywords: multiple sclerosis; Clostridium perfringens; C. perfringens epsilon toxin; microbiota

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MDPI and ACS Style

Huss, A.; Bachhuber, F.; Feraudet-Tarisse, C.; Hiergeist, A.; Tumani, H. Multiple Sclerosis and Clostridium perfringens Epsilon Toxin: Is There a Relationship? Biomedicines 2024, 12, 1392. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12071392

AMA Style

Huss A, Bachhuber F, Feraudet-Tarisse C, Hiergeist A, Tumani H. Multiple Sclerosis and Clostridium perfringens Epsilon Toxin: Is There a Relationship? Biomedicines. 2024; 12(7):1392. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12071392

Chicago/Turabian Style

Huss, André, Franziska Bachhuber, Cécile Feraudet-Tarisse, Andreas Hiergeist, and Hayrettin Tumani. 2024. "Multiple Sclerosis and Clostridium perfringens Epsilon Toxin: Is There a Relationship?" Biomedicines 12, no. 7: 1392. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12071392

APA Style

Huss, A., Bachhuber, F., Feraudet-Tarisse, C., Hiergeist, A., & Tumani, H. (2024). Multiple Sclerosis and Clostridium perfringens Epsilon Toxin: Is There a Relationship? Biomedicines, 12(7), 1392. https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12071392

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Multiple Sclerosis and Clostridium perfringens Epsilon Toxin: Is There a Relationship?

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