Compositions comprising bacterial strains

Abstract

The invention provides compositions comprising bacterial strains for treating and preventing inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.

1 .- 50 . (canceled) 
     
     
         51 . A method of treating a condition characterized by an elevated level of an interleukin 17 (IL-17) cytokine in a subject in need thereof, comprising administering to the subject a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a bacteria strain that comprises a 16S rRNA gene sequence having at least 95% sequence identity to the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein the pharmaceutical composition is formulated for delivery to an intestine of the subject, and wherein the administering is effective to treat the condition. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the condition is an autoimmune disease. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 52 , wherein the autoimmune disease is selected from the group consisting of multiple sclerosis, arthritis, neuromyelitis optica, psoriasis, systemic lupus erythematosus, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, uveitis, scleritis, vasculitis, Behcet's disease, atherosclerosis, atopic dermatitis, emphysema, periodontitis, allergic rhinitis, allograft rejection, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, sarcoidosis, sympathetic ophthalmia, tubulointerstitial nephritis, Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome, and encephalomyelitis. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the uveitis is selected from the group consisting of Fuchs heterochromic iridocyclitis, HLA-B27 related uveitis, posterior uveitis, and uveitis syndrome. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein the arthritis is selected from the group consisting of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, spondyloarthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis. 
     
     
         56 . The method of  claim 53 , wherein asthma is selected from the group consisting of neutrophilic asthma, eosinophilic asthma and allergic asthma. 
     
     
         57 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the condition is cancer. 
     
     
         58 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the IL-17 is selected from the group consisting of: IL-17A, IL-17B, IL-17C, IL-17D, IL-17E, and IL-17F. 
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition further comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, diluent, or carrier. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises from about 1×10 3  to about 1×10 11  colony forming unit per gram (CFU/g) of the bacteria strain, with respect to a total weight of the pharmaceutical composition. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is encapsulated. 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is formulated as a suppository. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the administering comprises oral, rectal, nasal, buccal, sublingual, intraperitoneal, or subcutaneous administration. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is formulated for delivery to an intestine of the subject. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 51 , further comprising administering an additional therapeutic agent to the subject. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the bacteria strain is lyophilized. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the bacteria strain is live. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition comprises de minimis amounts of other bacterial strains. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the bacterial strain is non-spore forming. 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 51 , wherein the bacterial strain comprises a 16S rRNA gene sequence having at least 98% sequence identity to the polynucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:2.