Abstract
Diseases are often diagnosed once overt symptoms arise, ignoring the prior latent period when effective prevention may be possible. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model for multiple sclerosis, exhibits such disease latency, but the molecular processes underlying this asymptomatic period remain poorly characterized. Gut microbes also influence EAE severity, yet their impact on the latent period remains unknown. Here, we show the latent period between immunization and EAE's overt symptom onset is characterized by distinct host responses as measured by stool proteomics. In particular, we found a transient increase in protease inhibitors that inversely correlated with disease severity. Vancomycin administration attenuated both EAE symptoms and protease inhibitor induction potentially by decreasing immune system reactivity, supporting a subset of the microbiota's role in modulating the host's latent period response. These results strengthen previous evidence of proteases and their inhibitors in EAE and highlight the utility stool-omics for revealing complex, dynamic biology.