Autoimmune disorder lupus may be triggered by body’s bacteria

The bacteria living in and on our bodies don’t always work in our favour – some seem to provoke the autoimmune disease lupus. The finding suggests that targeted antibiotics might one day help treat the disorder.

Disturbances in the body’s microbiome have already been linked to plenty of disorders, including autoimmune diseases, which occur when a person’s immune system starts to attack their own body. In people with lupus, this kind of attack often causes skin rashes, but can also damage other organs, such as the lungs, heart,…