© 2002 by Gut
LEADING ARTICLE
Primary biliary cirrhosis: seeking the silent partner of autoimmunity
1 MRC Centre for Immune Regulation, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
2 Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor J Neuberger, Liver Unit, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham B15 2TH, UK;
J.M.Neuberger{at}bham.ac.uk
Primary biliary cirrhosis is a disorder characterised by an intense inflammatory response in the septal and interlobular bile ducts and is considered to be an autoimmune disease. Evidence to suggest that chronic viral infection could be a crucial element in the development of biliary epithelial cell damage and activation of the associated autoimmune response is reviewed
Keywords: primary biliary cirrhosis; autoimmunity; viral infection
Abbreviations: PBC, primary biliary cirrhosis; AMA, antimitochondrial antibodies; 2-OADC, 2-oxoacid dehydrogenase complex; PDC, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex; MS, multiple sclerosis; PLP, proteolipid protein; TMEV, Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus
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