Multiple etiologies of equine recurrent uveitis–A natural model for human autoimmune uveitis: A brief review.
Abstract: Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) has various etiologies, with Leptospira infection and genetic predisposition being the leading risk factors. Regardless of etiology, expression of ocular proteins associated with maintenance of the blood-ocular barrier is impaired in ERU. The recurring-remitting cycle of ERU repeatedly disrupts the blood-ocular barrier, allowing the previously immune-privileged ocular environment to become the site of a progressive local autoimmune pathology that ultimately results in tissue destruction and vision loss. The immune-mediated process involves humoral and cellular mechanisms. Intraocular antibodies either produced in the eye or that leak through the blood-ocular barrier, are often present at higher levels than in serum and react with antigens in ocular tissue of horses with ERU. Ocular infiltration of auto-aggressive lymphocytes occurs with each uveitis episode and is the most crucial contributor to inflammation and eye damage. Recurring uveitis episodes may be initiated when epitopes of an ocular antigen become visible to the immune system (intramolecular spreading) or another autoantigen (intermolecular spreading), resulting in a new inflammatory reaction.
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2015-12-02 PubMed ID: 26851589DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2015.11.004Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research paper investigates the various causes of Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), a leading cause of blindness in horses, and discusses how it can serve as a natural model for studying human autoimmune uveitis.
Causes of Equine Recurrent Uveitis
- The main causes of the relapsing inflammatory eye disease, Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU), that the article delves into include Leptospira infection and genetic factors.
- Regardless of the main cause, horses suffering from ERU regularly impair the expression of proteins that maintain the blood-ocular barrier, responsible for preserving the immune-privileged status of the eye.
The Role of the Blood-Ocular Barrier
- Recurrent cycles of ERU disrupt the blood-ocular barrier, converting the eye’s normally privileged immunity environment into a progressive, local autoimmune pathology.
- This repeated disruption leads ultimately to tissue destruction and loss of vision.
Immune-Mediated Process
- ERU is a result of a process mediated by the immune system, involving both cellular and humoral mechanisms.
- Increased intraocular antibodies—either produced in the eye or that permeate through the compromised blood-ocular barrier—are present more significantly than in the serum and react with antigens present in the ocular tissue of horses with ERU.
- Each ERU episode is characterized by the ocular infiltration of auto-aggressive lymphocytes, causing inflammation and damage to the eye structure.
Triggering Uveitis Episodes
- Recurring uveitis episodes might be initiated when epitopes (a part of an antigen that is recognized by the immune system) of an ocular antigen become visible to the immune system—known as intramolecular spreading—or when another autoantigen emerges, leading to an intermolecular spreading.
- This recognition or exposure subsequently results in a new inflammatory response.
Implications for Human Autoimmune Uveitis
- This study on ERU can serve as a reliable natural model for understanding and studying human autoimmune uveitis, due to the similarities in the immune processes related to the disease in both species.
Cite This Article
APA
Witkowski L, Cywinska A, Paschalis-Trela K, Crisman M, Kita J.
(2015).
Multiple etiologies of equine recurrent uveitis–A natural model for human autoimmune uveitis: A brief review.
Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis, 44, 14-20.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cimid.2015.11.004 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: lucjan_witkowski@sggw.pl.
- Department of Pathology and Veterinary Diagnostics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland.
- Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland.
- Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Laboratory of Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Warsaw, Poland.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies / blood
- Antibodies / classification
- Autoantigens / immunology
- Autoimmune Diseases / etiology
- Autoimmune Diseases / immunology
- Autoimmune Diseases / veterinary
- Disease Models, Animal
- Epitopes
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / etiology
- Horse Diseases / immunology
- Horses
- Humans
- Immunity, Cellular
- Immunity, Humoral
- Leptospirosis / veterinary
- Recurrence
- Uveitis / etiology
- Uveitis / genetics
- Uveitis / immunology
- Uveitis / veterinary
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