Infectome: a platform to trace infectious triggers of autoimmunity

Area of Science:

• Environmental health
• Immunology
• Microbiology

Background:

• The exposome encompasses all lifetime environmental exposures, crucial for understanding disease.
• Autoimmune diseases involve complex interactions between host genetics and environmental factors.
• Environmental Wide Association Studies (EWAS) are emerging to investigate environmental influences on disease.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the concept of the "infectome" as a component of the exposome.
• To explore the role of infectious agents in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.
• To discuss methods for characterizing and measuring the disease-specific infectome.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on exposome, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases.
• Integration of geoepidemiological, serological, and molecular evidence.
• Adaptation of methodologies from immunome and microbiome research.

Main Results:

• The infectome, comprising exposures to infectious agents, is proposed as a critical factor in autoimmunity.
• Evidence suggests co-occurrence of infectious agents linked to autoimmune disease development.
• The concept of the human body as a "superorganism" with symbiotic microbial components is supported.

Conclusions:

• Investigating the infectome offers new insights into microbial-host interactions in autoimmune diseases.
• Understanding the infectome can help identify triggers for autoimmune conditions.
• Characterizing the infectome is feasible using established experimental approaches.