Celiac Disease (CD) is a complex autoimmune enteropathy of the small intestine that commonly
occurs in genetically predisposed individuals due to intake of gluten and related proteins. Gluten
consumption, duration of breast-feeding, various infections, especially frequent intestinal infections,
vaccinations and use of antibiotics can be linked to CD. It is predicted that it affects 1% of the
global population and its incidence rate is increasing. Most of the people with the HLA-DQ2 or HLADQ8
are at a higher risk of developing this disease. The link between infections and autoimmune diseases
has been very much considered in recent years. In several studies, we explained that pathogenic
and non-pathogenic microorganisms might have multiple roles in initiation, exacerbation, and development
of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). In various studies,
the relationship between infections caused by viruses, such as Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), Rotavirus,
Hepatitis C (HCV), Hepatitis B virus (HBV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), and Influenza virus, and parasites
including Giardia spp. and Toxoplasma gondii with CD has been raised. However, increasing evidence
proposes that some of these microorganisms, especially helminths, can also have protective and
even therapeutic roles in the CD process. Therefore, in order to determine the role of microorganisms
in the process of this disease, we attempted to summarize the evidence suggesting the role of viral and
parasitic agents in pathogenesis of CD.