Abstract

Microbiology of Type 1 diabetes: possible implications for management of the disease

Author(s): Adriana Giongo, Mark A Atkinson & Eric W Triplett

The environmental factors that contribute to the onset of Type 1 diabetes are unknown but are of increasing interest. This article focuses on the possible role of the gut microbiome in the development of Type 1 diabetes. Administration of either antibiotics or probiotics prevents diabetes in murine models of the disease, which suggests a role for gut microbiota in insulin-dependent diabetes. The subsequent analysis of human gut samples led to the proposal that the gut microbiome may provide early diagnosis for autoimmunity for Type 1 diabetes and allow the identification of bacteria that may one day be useful in the prevention of autoimmunity. Future work should include microbiome analysis in more samples, functional analysis of the bacteria present and a search for small molecules of bacterial origin that may be responsible for a leaky mucosal layer.