title: The viral theory of connective tissue diseases: a review.
abstract: For many years evidence for a viral aetiology of connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis has been sought by a variety of methods, including attempts at direct isolation, the study of rheumatoid synovial cells, ultrastructural examination of pathological material and assays of anti-viral antibody. No convincing proof has yet been obtained. However, a better understanding of the mechanisms of viral persistence, and the ways in which host defences can be subverted by viral infections has prompted other ways of approaching this problem. A viral aetiology for this group of diseases remains an attractive but unsubstantiated hypothesis.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D009858:Oncogenic Viruses; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral