Autoimmune cross-targeting could cause Rheumatoid arthritis

Autoimmune cross-targeting hypothesis: that the layering of 2 infections on one target confuses the immune system into autoimmune attack.  A viral infection like hepatitis marks the inside and mycoplasmas mark the outside in the case of RA.

Mycoplasmas and RA
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24097830
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10618069 (infection found in synovial fluid)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17122006

Not a new idea 1971...mycoplasmas and RA
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/5165178

Synovial membrane antibodies and RA
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16184347


Virus: hepatitis and RA
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25415338
http://rheumatology.oxfordjournals.org/content/38/10/978.full (after hepatitis vaccine RA)

Virus: epstein barr and RA
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25407647

Note that it is the target and the layering of infections pointing the immune system at the target that is is important in the development of autoimmunity. Either virus could trigger the event. 

Older posts
http://angelabiggs.blogspot.com/2014/09/ra-stroke-irregular-heartbeats-and.html
http://angelabiggs.blogspot.com/2013/04/lupus-and-ra-leukemia-and-mycoplasmas.html