Researchers from the Network of Pediatric MS Centers joined with investigators in Canada to study whether gut bacteria differed between children with and those without MS. They found that the diversity of bacteria was similar, but levels of certain types of bacteria – types associated with promoting inflammation – were increased in children with MS. Growing research suggests that gut bacteria are critical to maintaining immune balance, so understanding the role they play in MS is an important new strategy for stopping the disease in its tracks. This study was funded by the National MS Society, the National Institutes of Health, the Race to Erase MS and the Canada Research Chair program.