Table 1.
Molecular mimicry studies involving various infectious agents as the likely triggers of primary biliary cirrhosis. [52, 66, 79, 84, 85, 143, 145, 149]
| Infectious agent | In support of molecular mimicry | Against molecular mimicry |
|---|---|---|
| E. coli | Yes (both at B- and CD4 T cell level) | No (Antibody reactivity to E. coli) PDC-E2 mimic is very weak |
| N. amoraticivorans | Yes (B cell) | |
| Lactobacilli | Yes (B cell) | |
| Mycobacteria | Yes (B cell level but only for M. gordonae) | No (Lack of cross-reactivity for other typical or atypical mycobacteria) |
| Helicobacter pylori | No (B- or CD4 T cell) | |
| Psuedomonas aeruginosa | Yes (CD4 T cell) | No |
| Human cytomegalovirus | No (B cell) | |
| Haemophilus influenzae | No (B cell) | |
| Neurospora crassa | Yes (CD4 T cell) | |
| Neisseria meningitis | Yes (CD4 T cell) | |
| Acholeplasma laidlawii | Yes (CD4 T cell) | |
| Azotobacter vinelandii | Yes (CD4 T cell) | |
| Pseudomonas putida | Yes (CD4 T cell) | |
| Human Ecotropic virus | No (CD4 T cell) | |
| Streptomyces aureofaciens | No (CD4 T cell) | |
| Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus subtilis | No (CD4 T cell) | |
| Histoplasma capsulatum | No (CD4 T cell) |