Australian researchers have confirmed the link between type 1 diabetes and enterovirus infection.
- Human beings are the only reservoir of enteroviruses.
- Vaccines aimed at reducing the incidence of type 1 diabetes by preventing enterovirus infection are already in clinical trials.
- “People with diabetes who had both a genetic risk and a relative with type 1 diabetes were 29 times more likely to have an enterovirus infection,” according to scientists.
Angina, poliomyelitis, encephalitis, foot-hand-mouth syndrome, meningitis… These different pathologies are caused by enteroviruses. These viruses, which infect humans, are widespread throughout the world. They are very hardy and can survive for weeks in the environment. Recently, scientists from the University of New South Wales (Australia) claimed that an enterovirus infection could trigger type 1 diabetes.
5,981 people had type 1 diabetes
To reach this conclusion, they performed a study, the results of which were presented at the annual congress of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, which took place in Stockholm from 19 to 23 September. As part of this work, the researchers analyzed data from 12,077 people, aged 0 to 87, from 60 observational searches found in databases. Among the participants, 5,981 of them suffered from type 1 diabetes and the rest of the volunteers were in good health. The team took blood, stool or tissue samples from the patients using a series of advanced molecular techniques.
Diabetes: the risk of enterovirus infection was 8 times higher
Based on the results, enterovirus RNA or protein, a sign of current or recent infection, was detected in samples. According to the authors, people with type 1 diabetes were twice as likely to test positive for enteroviruses as those who did not. The risk of enterovirus infection was eight times higher in the diabetic volunteers than in the others. Another observation: the patients were 16 times more likely to contract an enterovirus infection in the months following the diagnosis of diabetes than healthy adults.
“The number, timing, duration and site of enterovirus infections can be important”
The scientists concluded that there is indeed a clear association between enterovirus infection and type 1 diabetes. “The number, timing, duration and even site of enterovirus infections may also be important. The ‘leaky gut’ hypothesis suggests that viruses from the gut could travel with activated immune cells to ‘to the pancreas, where persistent low-grade infection and resulting inflammation can lead to an autoimmune response’, explained Sonia Isaacs, lead author of the research.
“It is also proposed that viral infections act in combination with other factors such as diet, gut microbiome imbalances, and even chemical exposures that can occur during pregnancy or in early childhood. There are still many to learn”she added.