Tracing environmental markers of autoimmunity: introducing the infectome

Abstract

We recently introduced the concept of the infectome as a means of studying all infectious factors which contribute to the development of autoimmune disease. It forms the infectious part of the exposome, which collates all environmental factors contributing to the development of disease and studies the sum total of burden which leads to the loss of adaptive mechanisms in the body. These studies complement genome-wide association studies, which establish the genetic predisposition to disease. The infectome is a component which spans the whole life and may begin at the earliest stages right up to the time when the first symptoms manifest, and may thus contribute to the understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmunity at the prodromal/asymptomatic stages. We provide practical examples and research tools as to how we can investigate disease-specific infectomes, using laboratory approaches employed from projects studying the "immunome" and "microbiome". It is envisioned that an understanding of the infectome and the environmental factors that affect it will allow for earlier patient-specific intervention by clinicians, through the possible treatment of infectious agents as well as other compounding factors, and hence slowing or preventing disease development.

The Search for Causative Environmental Factors in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Of course, the genetic susceptibility is not changed in an individual during the action of an exposome. However, the exposome and the 'infectome' as a part of the exposome (representing the potential pathogens in the environment) [31,32] may either act on the microbiota composition of the gut or on the epigenetic imprinting of the cells of the intestinal mucosa [1] .…”

Alternative Testing Methods for Predicting Health Risk from Environmental Exposures

“…GSEA results substantially confirmed and deepened Pathway-Express outputs. There is increasing evidence that 70% to 90% disease risks are associated with exposure to environments, including the internal environment (body) and the external environment [44]. Autoimmune diseases are thought to be affected by environmental pollutants, and SLE has been linked to occupational exposures, including silicate and asbestos.…”

Non-infectious environmental antigens as a trigger for the initiation of an autoimmune skin disease

“…Environmental factors include airborne, oral, and percutaneous exposures and may be infectious or noninfectious in nature. The association of infectious agents with the development of autoimmune diseases has been well studied [25, 27-30], and the term “infectome” has been proposed to describe the link between external environmental infectious antigens and the initiation of autoimmune diseases [25-27]. Compared to the studies of the infectious agents, the study of non-infectious environmental antigens and their association with the development of autoimmune diseases is limited.…”