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Review
. 2020 Sep 23;8(10):1459.
doi: 10.3390/microorganisms8101459.

Role of Infections in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Focus on Mycobacteria

Marco Bo  1 , Seyedesomaye Jasemi  1 , Giuseppe Uras  2 , Gian Luca Erre  3   4 , Giuseppe Passiu  3   4 , Leonardo A Sechi  1
Affiliations
Review

Role of Infections in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Focus on Mycobacteria

Marco Bo et al. Microorganisms. .

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease characterized by chronic erosive polyarthritis. A complex interaction between a favorable genetic background, and the presence of a specific immune response against a broad-spectrum of environmental factors seems to play a role in determining susceptibility to RA. Among different pathogens, mycobacteria (including Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, MAP), and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), have extensively been proposed to promote specific cellular and humoral response in susceptible individuals, by activating pathways linked to RA development. In this review, we discuss the available experimental and clinical evidence on the interplay between mycobacterial and EBV infections, and the development of the immune dysregulation in RA.

Keywords: genes; immune dysregulation; infections; mycobacteria; rheumatoid arthritis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Interaction between different factors in driving rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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