title: The role of infectious agents in the pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and treatment strategies in Behçet's disease.
abstract: Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic disorder characterized by oral, genital ulcers and involvement of the cutaneous (erythema nodosum, pustular vasculitis), ocular (anterior or posterior uveitis), musculoskeletal, vascular (both arterial and venous vasculitis), gastrointestinal and central nervous (meningoencephalitis) systems. It has an unpredictable clinical spectrum from mild mucocutaneous manifestations to severe ocular, vascular or neurological disability. In this review, the aetiology, clinical presentations and treatment modalities of BD are evaluated in the context of microbial factors within the existing literature. The relationships between microbial agents (streptococcia and herpes simplex virus), microbial antigens [heat shock proteins (HSP), lipoteichoic acid (LTA)] and immune mechanisms such as innate and adaptive responses against microorganisms are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Education, Marmara University, Istanbul, Turkey. gmumcu@yahoo.com
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mumcu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Inanc
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yavuz
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Direskeneli
mesh_terms: D001528:Behcet Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006560:Herpes Labialis / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019226:Oral Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000150:complications; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000150:complications