Despite the extensive work-up performed in the case reported here, we were unable to identify any triggering infectious agent or malignancy.
It is theorized that this antiinflammatory response aimed primarily at counteracting overamplified proinflammatory response of sepsis in reality hampers the ability of the body to combat the triggering infectious event when overamplified itself (Cavaillon & Annane 2006).
Over the years, the idea that a misfolded prion protein, because of its shape alone, could trigger an infectious disease has been gaining acceptance, but it has never been conclusively proven.
Even seeing the picture can trigger John Williams' infectious do do doodoo, do do doooo theme and inspire shouting about what does and doesn't belong in a museum.
In most studies the levels of the inflammatory mediators produced are far higher when the initial trigger is infectious, and it seems obvious that, although the same pathway is probably involved, there is a clear quantitative difference in the activation of the inflammatory network for septic versus nonseptic insult [ 9].
As most cases are triggered by infectious agents, the findings may often be transferable, but may not be fully applicable to cases triggered by various non-infectious precipitating factors.
The immune system of children at risk of autism may be therefore especially susceptible to psychological stressors, exposure to chemical triggers, and infectious agents.
Biomarkers that report elevated inflammation are used clinically in the treatment of patients with sepsis; however, they fail to distinguish inflammation triggered by infectious pathogens from that induced by non-infectious causes, such as burns, traumas and surgeries.
The disease is assumed to stem from an autoimmune response, which, in turn may be triggered by infectious or other environmental agents in genetically susceptible individuals [1, 5] (Fig. 1).
Indeed, lupus exhibits remarkable similarities to and might be triggered by infectious TLR activation.
