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The Concept of Infection-Triggered Autoimmunity

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Role of Microorganisms in Pathogenesis and Management of Autoimmune Diseases

Abstract

Hypothesized on an epidemiological basis soon after the discovery of autoimmunity, microbial triggering of autoimmune diseases is a complex and, despite the great efforts performed, not yet fully elucidated topic of current interest in basic and clinical research. While the causal link between some autoimmune diseases and specific infections has been demonstrated and explained, such association is more controversial in other cases, reflecting our incomplete knowledge of the multiple interactions occurring between microbes and the human immune system, as well as of the mechanisms that may transform a homeostatic and defensive system into a cause of disease and self-destruction. This chapter presents a general overview on the molecular basis of autoimmunity, the natural systems aimed at preventing this undesirable phenomenon, and the mechanisms by which microbial infections, in predisposed individuals and in specific circumstances, may alter the physiological equilibrium of the immune system, leading to autoimmune diseases: molecular mimicry, bystander activation of autoreactive cells, epitope spreading and polyclonal activation, and others, currently less known, which could prove interesting in the next future.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy

    Fabrizio Guarneri

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  1. Fabrizio Guarneri
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Correspondence to Fabrizio Guarneri .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. C.G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University, Surat, Gujarat, India

    Mitesh Kumar Dwivedi

  2. C.G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University, Surat, Gujarat, India

    N. Amaresan

  3. Department of Oncology and Metabolism, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK

    E. Helen Kemp

  4. Zabludowizc Center for Autoimmunity, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel

    Yehuda Shoenfeld

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Guarneri, F. (2022). The Concept of Infection-Triggered Autoimmunity. In: Dwivedi, M.K., Amaresan, N., Kemp, E.H., Shoenfeld, Y. (eds) Role of Microorganisms in Pathogenesis and Management of Autoimmune Diseases. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-1946-6_1

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