New clues have emerged about the root cause of endometriosis. Researchers say bacteria could play a role, according to a study published June 14 in Science Translational Medicine.
The condition currently has few treatment options, but Japanese researchers found that Fusobacterium in patients' endometrial lesions — observed in more than half of patients in the study — were reduced with antibiotic treatment using metronidazole and chloramphenicol.
Sixty-four percent of women in the study tested positive for the presence of fusobacterium — which is a common bacteria typically found in the mouth or gastrointestinal tract — in their uterine lining, while only 10 percent of healthy women without the condition were found to carry the bacteria in the same area.
The findings suggest that endometriosis could originate from a bacterial infection and "suggest that eradication of this bacterium could be an approach to treat endometriosis," the authors wrote.