Infection, vaccines and other environmental triggers of autoimmunity

Abstract

The etiology of autoimmune diseases is still not clear but genetic, immunological, hormonal and environmental factors are considered to be important triggers. Most often autoimmunity is not followed by clinical symptoms unless an additional event such as an environmental factor favors an overt expression. Many environmental factors are known to affect the immune system and may play a role as triggers of the autoimmune mosaic.Infections: bacterial, viral and parasitic infections are known to induce and exacerbate autoimmune diseases, mainly by the mechanism of molecular mimicry. This was studied for some syndromes as for the association between SLE and EBV infection, pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection and more. Vaccines, in several reports were found to be temporally followed by a new onset of autoimmune diseases. The same mechanisms that act in infectious invasion of the host, apply equally to the host response to vaccination. It has been accepted for diphtheria and tetanus toxoid, polio and measles vaccines and GBS. Also this theory has been accepted for MMR vaccination and development of autoimmune thrombocytopenia, MS has been associated with HBV vaccination. Occupational and other chemical exposures are considered as triggers for autoimmunity. A debate still exists about the role of silicone implants in induction of scleroderma like disease.Not only foreign chemicals and agents have been associated with induction of autoimmunity, but also an intrinsic hormonal exposure, such as estrogens. This might explain the sexual dimorphism in autoimmunity.Better understanding of these environmental risk factors will likely lead to explanation of the mechanisms of onset and progression of autoimmune diseases and may lead to effective preventive involvement in specific high-risk groups. So by diagnosing a new patient with autoimmune disease a wide anamnesis work should be done.

A SmD Peptide Induces Better Antibody Responses to Other Proteins within the Small Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Complex than to SmD Protein via Intermolecular Epitope Spreading

“…3B). T cells from mice immunized with SmD 52-66 gave significantly higher mean stimulation index, in comparison with mice immunized with SmD [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] and SmD [91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100][101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110] . T cells from CFA-immunized mice did not proliferate in response to SmD.…”

“…2A show reactivity to the immunizing peptides at a 1/200 dilution. SmD [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] induced the highest anti-peptide Ab response followed by SmD 52-66 and SmD 91-110 . In comparison, control mice immunized with adjuvants ( Fig.…”

“…5A). Considerable variability was observed in mice immunized with SmD [31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] , with only one of the three cohorts showing immunoprecipitating anti-A-RNP Abs (data not shown). Again, none of the immune sera reacted with SmD.…”

The impact of vaccine side effects on the natural history of immunization programmes: An imitation-game approach

“…For example agents might perceive that vaccines are responsible for VSEs arising with long time delays [9], as might be the case with auto-immune diseases [18]. Moreover, delays of different nature, concerning the information on the spread of the disease, may involve both p(t) and M (t) [6].…”

Vaccine demand driven by vaccine side effects: Dynamic implications for SIR diseases

“…Here the issue of causal imputation is of course a complex one, but nonetheless the problem can not be ignored since what really matters is the public's perception that a causal link might exist. As regards the current medical literature, there seems to be little evidence that vaccines cause allergic diseases ( [5], [15], [25]), but on the other hand the possibility that vaccines might be responsible of auto-immune diseases is an accepted hypothesis ( [20]). Be things as they may, the possibility that time series of incidence of auto-immune and/or allergic diseases enter the "information set" on which anti-vaccinators base their decisions is a concrete one, largely documented in the official documents and sites of anti-vaccination groups.…”