Pancreatic islet-cell damage in children with fatal viral infections

The pancreases from 250 children with fatal infections caused by at least fourteen different viruses were examined for lesions in the islets of Langerhans. Viral cytopathology was found in 4 of 7 cases of Coxsackievirus B infection, 20 of 45 cases of cytomegalovirus infection, 2 of 14 cases of varicella-zoster infection, and 2 of 45 cases of congenital rubella. Destruction of beta cells and acute and chronic inflammatory infiltrates were found in islets from cases with Coxsackievirus B infections. Characteristic inclusion bodies were observed in islets from cases with cytomegalovirus and varicella-zoster infections. This survey provides further evidence that some viruses can infect and damage human beta cells.