Autoimmunity's collateral damage: Immunodeficiency hints at autoreactivity to cytokines

Autoimmunity develops when one's own immune cells and pathogenic antibodies react against the body, causing inflammation, degeneration, tissue destruction and even organ failure. But autoimmunity mediators can also evoke other pathological side effects, and individual factors can worsen the morbidity of the people suffering from autoimmune disorders, adding another level of complexity to these diseases. In 'Bedside to Bench', Mark Anderson and Michael Waterfield peruse a potential link between immunodeficiency and autoimmunity. Autoantibodies against cytokines involved in tackling Candida albicans infection may underlie the trait of increased susceptibility to yeast observed in people with such autoantibodies. In 'Bench to Bedside', Daniel Cua and Jonathan Sherlock discuss how the immune response induced by gut microbiota may be responsible for autoimmune attacks at distant sites, such as the joints.