Abstract:
The immunity of the organism is closely related to the function of the normal microflora, which is currently considered as a peculiar organ of the immune system. This is why maintaining the ecological balance in the gastrointestinal tract is so important. It is known that the loss of normal microflora function, with the subsequent activation of opportunistic pathogens, causes disruptions in both local and systemic immune responses [3,5, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15].
The possible role of opportunistic flora as a causative or triggering factor is discussed in the context of a number of autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis [10, 11], Bechterew's disease [2], and systemic vasculitis [7]. Most authors, however, place the greatest emphasis on exogenous infections, ignoring the role of opportunistic microflora, which can serve as a source of endogenous infection and a powerful antigenic stimulus [1,4,6,9]. There are few works that address the state of gastric microflora in the context of immune disturbances in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
