Revisiting the Hygiene Hypothesis in the Context of Autoimmunity

Initially described for allergic diseases, the hygiene hypothesis was extended to autoimmune diseases in the early 2000s. A historical overview allows appreciation of the development of this concept over the last two decades and its discussion in the context of evolution. While the epidemiological data are convergent, with a few exceptions, the underlying mechanisms are multiple and complex. A major question is to determine what is the respective role of pathogens, bacteria, viruses, and parasites, versus commensals. The role of the intestinal microbiota has elicited much interest, but is it a cause or a consequence of autoimmune-mediated inflammation? Our hypothesis is that both pathogens and commensals intervene. Another question is to dissect what are the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. The role of immunoregulatory cytokines, in particular interleukin-10 and TGF beta is probably essential. An important place should also be given to ligands of innate immunity receptors present in bacteria, viruses or parasites acting independently of their immunogenicity. The role of Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) ligands is well documented including via TLR ligand desensitization.