BACKGROUND A contributing factor in triggering autoimmune phenomena is pathogen infections. Here we describe a case that expands the spectrum of infection-associated autoimmune encephalitis and discuss plausible pathogenetic mechanisms. DESIGN Case report and in silico analysis. RESULTS A patient with West Nile Virus infection developed autoimmune encephalitis with positive anti-glycine receptor antibodies. Combination therapy with corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin resulted in the resolution of encephalitis signs and symptoms. An in silico analysis unveiled certain sequence similarities between viral antigens and receptor sequence fragments suggesting a molecular mimicry autoimmunization process. CONCLUSIONS Our case indicates that West Nile Virus infections can trigger autoimmune encephalitis. Our finding expands the spectrum of autoimmune conditions that can develop following an infection. Whether the autoimmunization process is due to molecular mimicry or due to the expansion of natural autoantibody clones merits further investigation.

中文翻译：

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西尼罗河病毒感染引发自身免疫性脑炎：病理生理学和治疗意义。

背景引发自身免疫现象的促成因素是病原体感染。在这里，我们描述了一个扩大感染相关自身免疫性脑炎范围的病例，并讨论了可能的发病机制。设计案例报告和计算机分析。结果 一名西尼罗河病毒感染患者发展为自身免疫性脑炎，抗甘氨酸受体抗体呈阳性。皮质类固醇和静脉内免疫球蛋白的联合治疗导致脑炎体征和症状消退。计算机分析揭示了病毒抗原和受体序列片段之间的某些序列相似性，表明存在分子模拟自身免疫过程。结论 我们的病例表明西尼罗河病毒感染可引发自身免疫性脑炎。我们的发现扩大了感染后可能发展的自身免疫性疾病的范围。自身免疫过程是由于分子模拟还是由于天然自身抗体克隆的扩展值得进一步研究。