Extending the Enterovirus Lead: Could a Related Picornavirus be Responsible for Diabetes in Humans?

We found an association between the abundance of rodents in the wild and onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in humans. A picornavirus named Ljungan virus (LV) was subsequently isolated from wild bank voles. Both picornavirus-like particles detected by electron microscopy and LV antigen visualized by imm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microorganisms (Basel) 2020-09, Vol.8 (9), p.1382
Main Authors: Klitz, William, Niklasson, Bo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
animal models
Animals
Antigens
Clinical trials
Cloning
Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent)
Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent)
Disease
Electron microscopy
Enteroviruses
Genotype & phenotype
Glucose
Health services
Hypotheses
Immunohistochemistry
Infections
Insulin
Islets of Langerhans
Laboratories
Ljungan virus
Pathogenesis
Pathogens
picornavirus
Population
Pregnancy
Review
Rodents
T1D
T2D
Viral infections
Viruses
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Summary:We found an association between the abundance of rodents in the wild and onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in humans. A picornavirus named Ljungan virus (LV) was subsequently isolated from wild bank voles. Both picornavirus-like particles detected by electron microscopy and LV antigen visualized by immunohistochemistry was seen in islets of Langerhans in diabetic wild bank voles. LV antigen has also been found in islets of Langerhans in a patient with recent onset of T1D and in the commonly used Bio Breeding (BB) T1D rat model. We discuss the possibility of T1D and type 2 diabetes (T2D) as parts of a single disease entity. Antiviral compounds directed against picornavirus have been found to be an effective treatment of diabetes in BB rats. We propose using the same currently available antiviral compounds in clinical trials in humans. Antiviral treatment would have the potential to be both proof of concept for involvement of a picornavirus in diabetes pathogenesis and also present a first-generation therapy.
ISSN:2076-2607
2076-2607
DOI:10.3390/microorganisms8091382