Viruses, Diabetes, and Autoimmunity: Studies of Subjects at Genetic Risk for Type 1 Diabetes

The possible importance of virus infections before the development of islet autoimmunity and then for the appearance of clinical type 1 diabetes is reviewed. There is a lack of specific data on the role of virus to induce islet autoimmunity. There is also a paucity of data to demonstrate that virus infections may contribute to an accelerated disease process resulting in clinical onset of type 1 diabetes. In contrast, there is a plethora of studies on virus infections at the time of clinical onset. However, these studies have made the understanding of virus in type 1 diabetes less easy. Future studies need to address further gestational infections and the risk of the offspring for islet autoimmunity. Such studies should also investigate the mechanisms by which gestational infections may alter the ability of the offspring to respond to future virus infections related to the development of islet autoimmunity or accelerator of the clinical onset of diabetes.