Figure 2.

Autoimmune disease through Treg loss and health through Treg renewal. Environmental factors (viral infection, toxic chemicals, trauma, etc.) can lead to triggering of an excess number of autoimmune effector T cells. These induce Treg anergy (see Figure 1) and Treg loss. The autoimmune effector excess can then bring about an autoimmune disease. In contrast, T cell and/or ergotope vaccination can activate Treg renewal (see Figure 1). The enhanced numbers of activated Tregs can inactivate autoimmune effector T cells, leading to the restoration of health.