I. Introduction T RADITIONALLY, it was assumed that infectious agents induced disease by
causing direct tissue damage (for example via secretion of exotoxins and endotoxins) …

Genetic and environmental factors appear to contribute to the pathogenesis of systemic
lupus erythematosus (SLE). Viral infections have been reported to be associated with the …

Retroviruses are an important group of pathogens that cause a variety of diseases in
humans and animals. Four human retroviruses are currently known, including human …

Background Retroviruses have been implicated in the aetiology of various autoimmune
diseases. We used immunoblots as a surrogate test to find out whether retroviruses play a …

Autoimmune rheumatic diseases, such as RA and SLE, are caused by genetic, hormonal
and environmental factors. Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) may be triggers of …

Sjögren's syndrome is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by dryness of the mouth
and eyes. The loss of salivary and lacrimal gland function is accompanied by lymphocytic …

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are a significant component of a wider family of
retroelements that constitute part of the human genome. These viruses, perhaps …

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are estimated to comprise up to 1% of human DNA. While
the genome of many ERVs is interrupted by termination codons, deletions or frame shift …

The fine specificity of the Ro and La proteins has been studied by several techniques. In
general, there is agreement in a qualitative sense that autoantibodies bind multiple …

More than 200 human disorders include various manifestations of autoimmunity. The
molecular events that lead to these diseases are still incompletely understood and their …