VIM and infection: Elevated anti-vimentin antibodies (AVA) in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), along with their association with vimentin-rich tertiary lymphoid structures in the lung, support a role for vimentin in ongoing immune activation and local granulomatous inflammation.24, 25Further, Bagavant et al demonstrated that intratracheal instillation of vimentin-coated beads in mice induced granuloma formation and a sarcoidosis-like immune response,26implicating vimentin as a self-antigen capable of initiating granulomatous inflammation in the absence of infection.