The gut microbiome in IBD is characterized by impaired metabolic cooperativity and can be restored upon anti-TNFα therapy

Blocking TNFα is an important treatment option for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The etiology of the disorder comprises a permanent activation of immune cascades and imbalanced cytokine networks. Evidence has been put forward that alteration of the human gut microbiome may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of IBD. However, the impact of targeted cytokine blockade on dysbiosis of intestinal microbial communities is poorly understood. Here, we investigate the effect of anti-TNFα treatment on gut microbial community structures in a prospective, longitudinal study for 30 weeks. The study compares IBD as a disorder, which primarily affects the gut, with seropositive and -negative rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis as a rheumatic disorder (RD) as an inflammatory disease complex, which usually does not affect the intestine.