There is a biological theory emerging in biological research that most if not all human disease is infectious.
That infectious organisms start a cascade of autoimmune responses which in some people begin inflammatory reactions.
Rheumatoid arthritis is one, and so is Type I diabetes. The latter is thought to be provoked following a viral illness. And there is a study out of Denmark that showed that bovine insulin fragments in cow's milk will induce Type I diabetes in children who have the genetic propensity to develop diabetes.
There is a genetic difference in some peoples' reactions to infectious disease. So that the trigger may only affect these genetically different patients.
An example is Campylobacter infections (gastroenteritis) may provoke GBS in some people.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9665983
Quote:
Clin Microbiol Rev. 1998 Jul;11(3):555-67.Click here to read Click here to read Links
Campylobacter species and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Nachamkin I, Allos BM, Ho T.
Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, USA. nachamki@mail.med.upenn.edu
Since the eradication of polio in most parts of the world, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) has become the most common cause of acute flaccid paralysis. GBS is an autoimmune disorder of the peripheral nervous system characterized by weakness, usually symmetrical, evolving over a period of several days or more. Since laboratories began to isolate Campylobacter species from stool specimens some 20 years ago, there have been many reports of GBS following Campylobacter infection. Only during the past few years has strong evidence supporting this association developed. Campylobacter infection is now known as the single most identifiable antecedent infection associated with the development of GBS. Campylobacter is thought to cause this autoimmune disease through a mechanism called molecular mimicry, whereby Campylobacter contains ganglioside-like epitopes in the lipopolysaccharide moiety that elicit autoantibodies reacting with peripheral nerve targets. Campylobacter is associated with several pathologic forms of GBS, including the demyelinating (acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy) and axonal (acute motor axonal neuropathy) forms. Different strains of Campylobacter as well as host factors likely play an important role in determining who develops GBS as well as the nerve targets for the host immune attack of peripheral nerves. The purpose of this review is to summarize our current knowledge about the clinical, epidemiological, pathogenetic, and laboratory aspects of campylobacter-associated GBS.
PMID: 9665983 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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So while infections may trigger, they do not really CAUSE the response...the response is the patient's own immune system going wonkey.
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