Autoimmune disease 2002: an overview

Autoimmune disease includes a large spectrum of clinically distinct entities that share a common etiology, a misguided, self-directed immune response. Collectively, they are major contributors to morbidity and mortality. Normally, the body utilizes a number of strategies to avoid the pathologic consequences of autoimmune reactions, but these defenses may fail for a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. Infection has long been regarded as a common environmental trigger of autoimmune disease. Our laboratory has developed a mouse model of myocarditis induced by Coxsackievirus B3 infection and demonstrated some of the steps involved in the transition from an infection to an autoimmune disease. Such basic studies may suggest improved treatment or preventive measures for this group of diseases.