[Editorial] EBV and SLE: causal or concurrence?

The vast majority of the population have been infected by the Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), an almost universal pathogen that persists in the body throughout an individual's life. Although innocuous to most people, an association of EBV with autoimmune diseases has been clear for some time. A new study has provided the first mechanistic evidence that EBV can stimulate autoimmunity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—by reprogramming once quiescent autoreactive B cells into activated pathogenic antigen-presenting cells.