Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is currently considered an autoimmune disease in which a
pathologic immune response attacks synovial cells, cartilage, and bone resulting in joint
destruction and permanent disability. Two basic theories have dominated the understanding
of the disease over the last decade. Clinicians have become increasingly aware of a strong
component of genetic predisposition rendering individuals susceptible to the disease. In
addition to emerging concepts of genetic traits in RA, theories of a causative infection have …