Immune Responses to Infection and Autoimmune Diseases in the UK Biobank

Authors

• C Yun
• MA Beydoun
• L Launer
• M Song

Abstract

Infections have been implicated as potential triggers for autoimmune responses. Our study explores the associations between seropositivity to infections and autoimmune diseases in the UK Biobank, to better understand the etiologic role of infection in autoimmune diseases.

We analyzed serum samples from 9,429 participants, testing for 45 antibody responses to 20 pathogens (human herpes [HHV], hepatitis, polyoma, papilloma [HPV] and retroviruses, as well as Chlamydia trachomatis, Helicobacter pylori, Toxoplasma gondii) using a multiplex platform. Using logistic and Cox regression, we evaluated the association between seropositivity and both prevalent and incident autoimmune diseases across 48 autoimmune diseases, adjusting for multiple testing using Bonferroni correction.

At baseline, 480 (5.1%) had at least one autoimmune disease (62% women). Among these, BKV showed the highest seropositivity (95.4%) and HIV-1 the lowest (0%). Seropositivity to HPV-18 was associated with rheumatism (OR [95% confidence interval] 5.00 [1.65-16.80]). Among nominal significance (p<0.05), OR ranged from 0.33 (H. pylori/Crohn’s disease) to 5.00 (HPV-18/rheumatism). Of 8,949 autoimmune disease-free individuals, 627 developed autoimmune diseases (median follow-up 12.8 years) and rendered no significant infection-autoimmune disease associations. HRs for nominal association ranged from 0.42 (HHV-6B/vasculitis) to 3.62 (C. trachomatis/psoriasis).

Our study provides a comprehensive investigation of antibodies to infectious agents and autoimmune diseases in a population cohort. Inverse associations may indicate immune modulation or altered host status, while positive links suggest infections could trigger autoimmunity through mechanisms like molecular mimicry. Our research significantly advances our understanding of autoimmune disease etiology and provides insights for targeted interventions to reduce infection-related autoimmune risks.

Scientific Focus Area: Epidemiology

This page was last updated on Tuesday, August 6, 2024