Immune system or the use of immunosuppressive medication. In contrast, autoimmunity results from a hyperactive immune system attacking normal tissues as if they were foreign organisms. Common autoimmune diseases include Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus type 1, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Immunology covers the study of all aspects of the immune system. Immunology is a science that examines the structure and function of the immune system. It originates from medicine and early studies on the causes of immunity to disease. The earliest known reference to immunity was during the plague of Athens in 430 BC. Thucydides noted that people who had
Human Endogenous Retrovirus-W occur when the immune system recognizes an antigen and activates the immune response cascade. The transcribed and translated products of the HERV-W Env gene come from retroviral DNA thus the human body detects these proteins as antigens triggering the immune response. Specifically, cytokine production is elevated in the MS PBMC cultures as compared to the healthy controls and mediated by the surface unit of the MSRV Env protein. This suggests that the MSRV Env protein may induce abnormal cytokine secretion, which leads to inflammation. A further explanation of how the expression of MSRV causes inflammation is found when looking at