Premium
Viruses and autoimmunity: an affair but not a marriage contract
Author(s) -
Rouse Barry T.,
Deshpande Shilpa
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
reviews in medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.06
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1099-1654
pISSN - 1052-9276
DOI - 10.1002/rmv.347
Subject(s) - autoimmunity , molecular mimicry , immunology , biology , mimicry , disease , autoimmune disease , virology , medicine , antigen , immune system , antibody , pathology , ecology
Viruses are considered as causative agents and contributors to lesion expression in autoimmune disease, notions best supported by studies in animal model systems. This review discusses relationships between virus infection and autoimmunity focusing on mechanisms by which they could induce autoreactivity. The popular idea of molecular mimicry is viewed skeptically with the reviewers taking the viewpoint that viruses contribute to autoimmunity mainly by inducing several nonspecific inflammatory events that together are sufficient to trigger autoreactivity in genetically receptive hosts. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.