Gulf War Illness and Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis: Treatment with Probiotics and Microbiota Transfer Therapy
Abstract
The hypothesis under investigation in this Tier 1 Discovery application is that the symptom clusters of GWI are a manifestation of a dysbiosis of the gut microbiome. The primary symptoms of GWI, which have been validated in the most recent (2016) report by the Committee on Gulf War and Health, are mood alterations (depression and anxiety) and gastrointestinal dysfunction (gut inflammation, leakiness). While these symptoms may not seem linked or linkable, they can easily be accounted for by a GWI-induced disturbance in the gut microbiome. Each of the symptoms of GWI, separately and as studied in non-GWI clinical conditions, can result from a dysbiosis of the microbiome but the possibility that this occurs in GWI has not been investigated. Therefore, there is a clear and compelling rationale for determining how communication along the gut-brain axis is disrupted in GWI. The Topics of Special Interest being addressed in this proposal are: a) gastrointestinal abnormalities as a component of GWI; b) molecular signatures (e.g., biomarkers) underlying symptom clusters via genomic, proteomic, metabolic, or epigenetic technologies; and c) dysregulation of, or abnormal crosstalk between, human body organ systems (e.g., neuroinflammation, autonomic dysfunction) and in particular, neurological system, immune system and endocrine, exocrine and/or excretory systems (e.g., gastrointestinal) as they apply to the gut-brain axis. This application has been informed extensively by The Gulf War Illness Landscape as suggested in the GWIRP-IIFRA Program Description.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1148565
Entities
People
- Donald M. Kuhn
Organizations
- Wayne State University