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Nature Medicine 9, 823 - 825 (2003)
doi:10.1038/nm0703-823
Letting antibodies get to your head
Robert S Fujinami1 & Thayne L Sweeten1
- The authors are in the Department of Neurology, University of Utah, 30 North 1900 East, 3R330 SOM, Salt Lake City, Utah 84131-2305, USA. e-mail: Robert.Fujinami@hsc.utah.edu
Abstract
Autoantibodies to group A streptococcocal sugar moieties are now implicated in Sydenham chorea, a neuropsychiatric complication of rheumatic fever. These antibodies appear to disturb neuronal cell function by binding to glycolipids (pages 914–920).
A simple throat infection with group A streptococcus can have devastating consequences for certain susceptible individuals, who develop a transient autoimmune disease known as acute rheumatic fever (ARF). Molecular mimicry of antibodies that cross-react with epitopes on the bacteria and heart instigate the cardiac inflammation associated with ARF.
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