Contrary to a quote in the above article, reactive arthritis is a
well-documented condition (not a concept) in the literature. Any way, here's another recent article on the subject.
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Lab Notes: Drug Versus Bug in Arthritis
By MedPage Today Staff
Published: June 22, 2012
A drug treatment with a novel mechanism and an unusual provenance may help combat spondyloarthritis, a rat study suggested. Also this week: cancer alters nerves to cause pain.
Countering Chlamydia Arthritis
The protease inhibitor nafamostat mesylate effectively blocked the development of reactive arthritis associated with Chlamydia infection in laboratory experiments, minimizing joint swelling and reducing the articular microbial load, researchers reported in Arthritis Research & Therapy.
Infection, particularly with Chlamydia bacterial species, has increasingly been recognized as playing a role in triggering spondyloarthropathies, according to Robert D. Inman, MD, and colleagues at the University of Toronto. Up to 60% of cases of undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy are now thought to be associated with Chlamydia.
In the current animal study, infected control rats had severe joint swelling and rapidly lost weight, while rats given the protease inhibitor had minimal swelling and maintained their body weight.
Nafamostat is currently used in Japan and other Asian nations as a treatment for disseminated intravascular coagulation and pancreatitis, but was not previously known to have antimicrobial properties. The drug may be an "appealing candidate" for the treatment of reactive arthritis, warranting further investigation, Inman and colleagues suggested.
-- Nancy Walsh
Source:
http://www.medpagetoday.com/LabNotes/LabNotes/33432