TY - JOUR
T1 - Bacteria and human autoimmunity
T2 - The case of primary biliary cirrhosis
AU - Selmi, Carlo
AU - Gershwin, M. Eric
PY - 2004/7
Y1 - 2004/7
N2 - Purpose of review: Primary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intrahepatic bile ducts that eventually leads to liver cirrhosis and organ failure, in which several observations suggest an autoimmune origin. Similarly to other autoimmune diseases, microbial mediated molecular mimicry is the most widely studied trigger that may break immunologic tolerance in primary biliary cirrhosis. Recent findings: The hypothesis of a bacterial role in the cause of primary biliary cirrhosis has received recent attention, based on in vitro data and the identification of a unique xenobiotic-metabolizing bacterium that modulates naturally occurring environmental estrogens, namely, Novosphingobium aromaticivorans. Summary: The evidence indicates that bacteria, through different mechanisms, may precipitate autoimmunity in primary biliary cirrhosis and other autoimmune diseases. These data have several implications.
AB - Purpose of review: Primary biliary cirrhosis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intrahepatic bile ducts that eventually leads to liver cirrhosis and organ failure, in which several observations suggest an autoimmune origin. Similarly to other autoimmune diseases, microbial mediated molecular mimicry is the most widely studied trigger that may break immunologic tolerance in primary biliary cirrhosis. Recent findings: The hypothesis of a bacterial role in the cause of primary biliary cirrhosis has received recent attention, based on in vitro data and the identification of a unique xenobiotic-metabolizing bacterium that modulates naturally occurring environmental estrogens, namely, Novosphingobium aromaticivorans. Summary: The evidence indicates that bacteria, through different mechanisms, may precipitate autoimmunity in primary biliary cirrhosis and other autoimmune diseases. These data have several implications.
KW - Bacteria
KW - Molecular mimicry
KW - Primary biliary cirrhosis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=3042626975&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=3042626975&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1097/01.bor.0000130538.76808.c2
DO - 10.1097/01.bor.0000130538.76808.c2
M3 - Article
C2 - 15201604
AN - SCOPUS:3042626975
VL - 16
SP - 406
EP - 410
JO - Current Opinion in Rheumatology
JF - Current Opinion in Rheumatology
SN - 1040-8711
IS - 4
ER -