Autoantibodies in autoimmune liver diseases.

Autoimmune hepatitis is a chronic hepatitis of unknown etiology characterized by clinical, histological, and immunological features, generally including circulating autoantibodies and a high total serum and/or gamma globulin. Liver-related autoantibodies are very significant for the correct diagnosis and classification of autoimmune liver diseases (AILD), namely autoimmune hepatitis types 1 and 2 (AIH-1 and 2), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and the sclerosing cholangitis types in adults and children. This article intends to review recent studies that investigate autoantibodies in autoimmune liver diseases from a microbiological perspective.