title: [Infectious agents in the etiopathogenesis of rheumatic diseases].
abstract: This article is an author's view of how to face the knowledge about infectious agents and their pathogenic role in the starting immune mechanisms, trying to clarify its role in the origin of some rheumatic diseases. From the basic immune responds, recent evidence and newly molecular mechanisms are dissected as well as diagnostic and therapeutic implications.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas. Servicio de Medicina Interna. Hospital General Universitario Miguel Servet. Zaragoza. España.
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: García-Lechuz Moya