Infection, autoimmunity, and glycolipids: T cells detect microbes through self-recognition.

De Libero et al. (2005) demonstrate in this issue of Immunity that bacterial infection leads to increased synthesis of autologous glycolipids that are recognized by CD1-restricted human T cells, indicating that recognition of inducible self-glycolipids could be a mechanism for microbial detection. This mechanism also may provide a connection between infection and autoimmunity.