USE OF ACTIVE SUBSTANCES FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MEDICINAL PRODUCTS FOR THE TREATMENT OF RHEUMATIC ARTHRITIS

摘要

Methods useful in the treatment or prevention of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are disclosed. Each method is useful in limiting the exposure of the systemic immune system of a human to RA arthritogenic peptides present in the person's gastrointestinal (GI) tract. To this end, one method of the invention reduces the population of arthritogenic peptide producing bacteria in the GI tract, then replaces those bacteria with ones incapable of producing the arthritogenic peptides. Methods for both passive and active immunization of a human against arthritogenic peptides are disclosed, as is a method for identifying persons who are predisposed to develop RA.