title: Bacteria and primary biliary cirrhosis.
abstract: Infectious agents have been postulated to play a pathogenic role in the loss of immunological tolerance and the induction of primary biliary cirrhosis, an immune-mediated cholestatic liver disease characterized by progressive destruction of the small intrahepatic bile ducts and subsequent cirrhosis and liver failure. This review discusses emerging issues implicating infectious agents such as Escherichia coli, mycobacteria, chlamydia, helicobacter species, lactobacilli, Novosphingobium aromaticivorans, and betaretroviruses in the pathogenesis of primary biliary cirrhosis. We also review the immunopathological mechanisms responsible for the induction of the disease with special emphasis on the role of molecular mimicry and microbial/self immunological cross-reactivity.
authors.affiliation: Liver Immunopathology, Institute of Liver Studies, King's College London School of Medicine, King's College Hospital, Denmark Hill Campus, London, SE5 9RS, UK.
authors.forename: Dimitrios P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Bogdanos
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vergani
mesh_terms: D000217:Acyltransferases / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology*; D001653:Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D003429:Cross Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D018716:Molecular Mimicry / Q000276:immunology*; D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D011768:Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex; D000217:Acyltransferases; C033588:dihydrolipoamide acyltransferase; C021515:dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase