Extensive homology between the major immunodominant mitochondrial antigen in primary biliary cirrhosis and Helicobacter pylori does not lead to immunological cross‐reactivity

Abstract excerpt

BACKGROUND: Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an immune-mediated chronic cholestatic disease characterized by the presence of antibodies directed predominantly against the E2 subunit of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC-E2). What provokes tolerance breakdown in PBC remains to be established, though there is evidence to indicate that microbes may induce anti-mitochondrial antibodies (AMA) through a...