diff --git a/src/typeahead/test/typeahead.spec.js b/src/typeahead/test/typeahead.spec.js
index 8daeee9c75..79bf263ca4 100644
--- a/src/typeahead/test/typeahead.spec.js
+++ b/src/typeahead/test/typeahead.spec.js
@@ -142,6 +142,34 @@ describe('typeahead tests', function () {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('typeaheadHighlight', function () {
+
+    var highlightFilter;
+    beforeEach(inject(function (typeaheadHighlightFilter) {
+      highlightFilter = typeaheadHighlightFilter;
+    }));
+
+    it('should higlight a match', function () {
+      expect(highlightFilter('before match after', 'match')).toEqual('before <strong>match</strong> after');
+    });
+
+    it('should higlight a match with mixed case', function () {
+      expect(highlightFilter('before MaTch after', 'match')).toEqual('before <strong>MaTch</strong> after');
+    });
+
+    it('should higlight all matches', function () {
+      expect(highlightFilter('before MaTch after match', 'match')).toEqual('before <strong>MaTch</strong> after <strong>match</strong>');
+    });
+
+    it('should do nothing if no match', function () {
+      expect(highlightFilter('before match after', 'nomatch')).toEqual('before match after');
+    });
+
+    it('issue 316 - should work correctly for regexp reserved words', function () {
+      expect(highlightFilter('before (match after', '(match')).toEqual('before <strong>(match</strong> after');
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('typeahead', function () {
 
     var $scope, $compile, $document;
diff --git a/src/typeahead/typeahead.js b/src/typeahead/typeahead.js
index 93e4ca7914..079dfd3cd4 100644
--- a/src/typeahead/typeahead.js
+++ b/src/typeahead/typeahead.js
@@ -207,7 +207,12 @@ angular.module('ui.bootstrap.typeahead', [])
   })
 
   .filter('typeaheadHighlight', function() {
+
+    function escapeRegexp(queryToEscape) {
+      return queryToEscape.replace(/([.?*+^$[\]\\(){}|-])/g, "\\$1");
+    }
+
     return function(matchItem, query) {
-      return (query) ? matchItem.replace(new RegExp(query, 'gi'), '<strong>$&</strong>') : query;
+      return query ? matchItem.replace(new RegExp(escapeRegexp(query), 'gi'), '<strong>$&</strong>') : query;
     };
   });
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