Autoimmune disease: A role for new anti-viral therapies?

Strike me lucky

Well-Known Member
Abstract
Many chronic human diseases may have an underlying autoimmune mechanism.

In this review, the author presents a case of autoimmune CIU (chronic idiopathic urticaria) in stable remission after therapy with a retroviral integrase inhibitor, raltegravir (Isentress).

Previous reports located using the search terms “autoimmunity” and “anti-viral” and related topics in the pubmed data-base are reviewed suggesting that novel anti-viral agents such as retroviral integrase inhibitors, gene silencing therapies and eventually vaccines may provide new options for anti-viral therapy of autoimmune diseases.

Cited epidemiologic and experimental evidence suggests that increased replication of epigenomic viral pathogens such as Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) in chronic human autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus Erythematosus (SLE), and multiple sclerosis (MS) may activate endogenous human retroviruses (HERV) as a pathologic mechanism.

Memory B cells are the reservoir of infection of EBV and also express endogenous retroviruses, thus depletion of memory b-lymphocytes by monoclonal antibodies (Rituximab) may have therapeutic anti-viral effects in addition to effects on B-lymphocyte presentation of both EBV and HERV superantigens. Other novel anti-viral therapies of chronic autoimmune diseases, such as retroviral integrase inhibitors, could be effective, although not without risk.

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science
 

Strike me lucky

Well-Known Member
Could this be a link between autoimmunity/autoinflammatory, viral and retroviral illnesses?? And why some cfsers respond to rituximab, some to antivirals and combos of avs/nsaids, antiretrovirals .

Is this what dr kogelnik was theorizing when he mentioned a study with rituximab and valcyte?

A current treatments subgroups or bits of the same puzzle???
 

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