When the immune system confuses friend and foe, autoimmune diseases develop. In the case of multiple sclerosis (MS), it mistakenly attacks the body’s protective layer of nerve fibers, known as the myelin sheath. Those affected can experience exhaustion and numbness in their limbs, develop walking problems and may even become paralyzed.

Researchers have spent decades investigating the question of how this fatal error in our defenses occurs. More recent hypotheses also focus on the intestinal flora. This is because people with MS have a different composition of microorganisms in their intestines than healthy people.

“We know that the intestinal flora influences the immune system, but the mechanisms related to MS are not fully understood,” says Professor Anne-Katrin Pröbstel from the Universities of Basel and Bonn. With her research group at the University of Basel and at the University Hospital Bonn, the neurologist investigates the role of the microbiome in neuroinflammatory diseases.