Bacterial superantigens in autoimmune arthritis.

Discoveries of the biological properties of bacterial superantigens have given rise to much speculation about their possible role in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. There is an increasing body of data to support these speculations. This field of research has the potential to provide a long-elusive understanding of the mechanisms which underlie microbial involvement in the pathogenesis of autoimmune polyarthritides.