Functional Medicine and Nutrition Virtual Classroom 302 - The GI Microbiome and Autoimmunity

Course overview

*Explain how the rising incidence of autoimmune disease implicates environmental and gut microbiota factors rather than genetics alone. *Describe emerging disease-specific microbiome signatures and differentiate quantitative PCR from next-generation sequencing for clinical versus research use. *Interpret a quantitative PCR stool analysis to identify pathogens, H. pylori virulence factors, commensal flora, phyla ratios, and opportunistic organisms. *Explain how molecular mimicry and HLA patterns like B27 link gut bacterial peptides to autoimmune tissue attack. *Describe how P. gingivalis citrullination and Proteus mirabilis mimicry contribute to rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis and its female predominance. *Identify Yersinia enterocolitica's role in autoimmune thyroiditis and apply botanical antimicrobials such as berberine, artemisinin, and oregano oil for dysbiosis. *Analyze the connections between gluten ingestion, celiac disease, autoimmune thyroiditis, and the hygiene hypothesis in autoimmune disease development. *Apply Fasano's triad and use zonulin, calprotectin, and anti-gliadin sIgA testing to identify and address intestinal hyperpermeability.