Virus-induced autoimmunity.

The studies summarized here indicate that viruses can serve as a trigger factor of autoimmune reactivity in various ways. The low frequency of autoimmune diseases in the population, the familial nature and the HLA associations of these diseases suggest that a multifactorial control is conditional to the virus infections. It is also evident that the presence of high levels of autoantibodies in itself is insufficient to induce significant "self"-reactivity. Autoimmunity associated with clinical manifestations will occur only if the autoantibody or autoreactive cells will be directed against a component that participates in the disease production. In spite of the large body of evidence that has been accumulated in the past decade, the relationship between autoimmunity and specific virus infection is still obscure. Hopefully, the next decade will provide new insight into the relevance of viruses in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.