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Microorganisms and autoimmunity: making the barren field fertile?

Nature Reviews Microbiology volume 1, pages 151–157 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Microorganisms induce strong immune responses, most of which are specific for their encoded antigens. However, microbial infections can also trigger responses against self antigens (autoimmunity), and it has been proposed that this phenomenon could underlie several chronic human diseases, such as type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Nevertheless, despite intensive efforts, it has proven difficult to identify any single microorganism as the cause of a human autoimmune disease, indicating that the 'one organism–one disease' paradigm that is central to Koch's postulates might not invariably apply to microbially induced autoimmune disease. Here, we review the mechanisms by which microorganisms might induce autoimmunity, and we outline a hypothesis that we call the fertile-field hypothesis to explain how a single autoimmune disease could be induced and exacerbated by many different microbial infections.

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Figure 1: Different T-cell populations induced by virus infection.
Figure 2: Molecular mimicry and diabetes.
Figure 3: The fertile-field hypothesis.

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Acknowledgements

M. G. V. H. would like to thank D. Frye for her excellent help with this (and many other) manuscripts and his wife B. Ford for her patience with his work. Thanks should also go to C. J. and Chiara, who not only brighten my life but also have certainly primed me with many childcare viruses to hopefully abrogate, but not trigger, autoimmunity. R. S. F. is supported by the National Institutes for Health. The work of J. L. W. on T-cell responses is supported the National Institutes for Health.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Developmental Immunology, Immune Regulation Laboratory, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, 10355 Science Centre Drive, San Diego, 92121, California, USA

    Matthias G. von Herrath

  2. Department of Neurology, University of Utah School of Medicine, 30 North 1900 East, 3R330, Salt Lake City, 84132, Utah, USA

    Robert S. Fujinami

  3. Department of Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute, 10355 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, 92037, California, USA

    J. Lindsay Whitton

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  1. Matthias G. von Herrath
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  2. Robert S. Fujinami
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  3. J. Lindsay Whitton
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Correspondence to Matthias G. von Herrath.

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DATABASES

Infectious Disease Information

Epstein–Barr virus

group A Streptococcus

hepatitis C virus

LocusLink

IFN-γ

TNF

OMIM

Graves' disease

multiple sclerosis

rheumatoid arthritis

type 1 diabetes mellitus

vitiligo

FURTHER INFORMATION

La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology

Glossary

ANTIGEN-PRESENTING CELL

A cell that is capable of providing co-stimulation through CD80/86, CD40 and other mechanisms, in addition to presenting antigen in the context of MHC molecules. Examples include dendritic cells, B cells and macrophages.

AUTOAGGRESSIVE

A term that is used to describe autoreactive T cells that are harmful to the host.

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

A clinically apparent disease that is attributable to the activities of autoaggressive lymphocytes.

AUTOIMMUNITY

An antigen-specific response against host tissues that is equivalent to autoreactivity. Note that many autoimmune and autoreactive lymphocytes seem to be harmless, or even protective to the host.

AVIDITY

The strength with which a T cell binds to a target cell by multiple receptor–ligand interactions.

BYSTANDER ACTIVATION

The activation of autoreactive lymphocytes that do not recognize microbial antigens. This can be mediated through cytokines and/or APCs.

COGNATE ANTIGEN

An antigen for which an antibody, or a T-cell receptor, is specific.

ISLETS OF LANGERHANS

Clusters of cells that are found in the pancreas. There are five types of islet cells, including β cells, which make insulin; α cells, which make glucagon; and δ cells, which make somatostatin.

MOLECULAR MIMICRY

This can occur when lymphocytes that are induced by a foreign (usually microbial) antigen can recognize (crossreact with) host proteins. Usually, the avidity of the lymphocytes for the self antigen is lower than their avidity for the microbial antigen.

M PROTEIN

A streptococcal virulence factor that protects the bacteria from phagocytosis.

PERFORIN

A pore-forming protein that is present in the granules of cytotoxic lymphocytes.

RANTES

A CC-chemokine that binds to, and activates, signal transduction by several chemokine receptors.

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von Herrath, M., Fujinami, R. & Whitton, J. Microorganisms and autoimmunity: making the barren field fertile?. Nat Rev Microbiol 1, 151–157 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro754

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