Microbes, autoantibodies and autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases affect millions of people worldwide. However, the etiology of autoimmune diseases is largely unknown. Microbes in the human body and in the environment are known to interact with the immune system, leading to abnormal reactions with collateral damage to human tissue due to similarities between human and microbial proteins. Recognizing the causing agents is the first step towards understanding autoimmune diseases. Consequently, diagnostic and therapeutic tools can be designed to target microbes or the interactions between the microbes and human host. Although against common wisdom in medicine and biomedical science, eliminating disease-specific microbes has the potential to become a simple and effective strategy for fighting many types of autoimmune diseases.