Autoimmunity to synovial extracellular matrix proteins in patients with postinfectious Lyme arthritis

Abstract

Autoreactive, proinflammatory CD4+ T cells and autoantibodies develop to ECM proteins in a subgroup of postinfectious LA patients who have specific HLA-DR alleles. Rather than the traditional molecular mimicry model, we propose that epitope spreading provides the best explanation for this example of infection-induced autoimmunity.