Study shows Travellers may have naturally-occurring protection against bowel disease

Scientists studying microbiomes — the microbes that live in and on all our bodies — have found bacteria which may have been serving to protect members of the Traveller Community from some diseases. 

Scientists have uncovered ancient gut bacteria in Travellers that may protect from chronic inflammatory bowel disease and could lead to broader treatments for the wider population.

Researchers working in collaboration with the Traveller Visibility Group (TVG) discovered distinct microbiomes — the collection of all microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and their genes — that naturally live on and inside our bodies.

APC Microbiome Ireland (APC), a research centre based in University College Cork and Teagasc, launched the findings yesterday, which have been published in  Nature Medicine.

Prof Fergus Shanahan, the founder director of APC Microbiome Ireland and a principal investigator, said it was effectively "a study in modernisation", adding: "This is of relevance to any ethnic minority when they are forced to change their way of life."

Prof Fergus Shanahan said the findings could not distract from the "scandalous" health disadvantages faced by members of the Traveller Community. Picture: Gerard McCarthy

He said the findings highlighted three key factors in members of the Traveller Community having this ancient microbiome — possession of horses and other pet animals in childhood, larger family size, and being nomadic in childhood, which he said could be a proxy for living in close quarters.

“In my long career as a gastroenterologist I have never encountered a member of the Traveller Community presenting with inflammatory bowel disease," he said, adding that further investigation can help in finding a solution for inflammatory bowel disease which affects 40,000 people in Ireland and 10m globally every year.

But he said the findings could not distract from the "scandalous" health disadvantages faced by members of the Traveller Community, including lower life expectancy. 

He said it also pointed to the need for "compromise" when it came to the uniqueness of Traveller life, as the study indicated that even those who lived in a house when young or did not have horses in childhood were less likely to have the distinct microbiome.

TVG’s Director of Advocacy, Breda O’Donoghue, said: “The microbiome research has confirmed what we always knew — we need to preserve the traditional Traveller lifestyle as it is essential for the health and wellness of our community. 

"We can see from the research that once a Traveller adapts to a settled lifestyle their microbiome is negatively affected.” 

TVG Development Worker, John O’Sullivan, said: “We hope this research will help us get support to restore some of our heritage and preserve our unique way of life.”

• The full study is available here in the scientific journal, Nature Medicine.