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Human parechovirus and the risk of type 1 diabetes

P Kolehmainen1, M Koskiniemi, S Oikarinen

  • 1Department of Virology, Medical School, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland. pekka.kolehmainen@helsinki.fi

Journal of Medical Virology
|July 16, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Human parechoviruses (HPeVs) do not generally cause type 1 diabetes. However, HPeV infections in boys showed a link to developing diabetes-associated autoantibodies, suggesting a potential gender-specific risk factor.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Immunology
  • Endocrinology

Background:

  • Human parechoviruses (HPeVs) are RNA viruses causing various infections in children.
  • Close relatives, enteroviruses, are linked to type 1 diabetes development.
  • The role of HPeVs in beta cell autoimmunity remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential role of HPeV infections in promoting beta cell autoimmunity.
  • To compare HPeV infection frequencies in prediabetic children and healthy controls.
  • To explore gender-specific associations between HPeV and type 1 diabetes development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of stool samples from 188 children (54 prediabetic cases, 134 healthy controls) from the Finnish Diabetes Prediction and Prevention study.
  • Screening for HPeV RNA using HPeV-specific RT-PCR and liquid hybridization.
  • Comparison of HPeV infection frequencies between cases and controls, with a focus on the period preceding autoantibody positivity.

Main Results:

  • No overall difference in HPeV infection frequency between prediabetic cases and controls.
  • A statistically significant increase (P < 0.01) in HPeV positive samples was observed in case boys during the 6-month period before autoantibody positivity compared to controls.
  • HPeV infection did not appear to be a major factor in the general development of beta-cell autoimmunity.

Conclusions:

  • HPeV infection at a young age is unlikely to be a primary driver of beta-cell autoimmunity.
  • In boys, HPeV infections show a time-dependent association with the emergence of diabetes-associated autoantibodies.
  • HPeVs may represent a gender-specific risk factor contributing to type 1 diabetes development in boys.

Keywords:
RT-PCRautoantibodieshuman parechovirustype 1 diabetes

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