Rotavirus as a Potential Trigger for Type 1 Diabetes | ||||
| Egyptian Journal of Medical Microbiology | ||||
| Volume 35, Issue 2, April 2026 | ||||
| Document Type: New and original researches in the field of Microbiology. | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/ejmm.2025.411726.1837 | ||||
 View on SCiNiTO | ||||
| Authors | ||||
Nada M. Elfeky   1; Maggie A. Ibrahim 2; Azza A. Eltayeb 3; Rania Bakry 4; Ehsan A. Hassan 5
| ||||
| 1Assiut International Center of Nanomedicine, Al-Rajhy Liver Hospital, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt | ||||
| 2Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University ,Assiut, Egypt | ||||
| 3Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt | ||||
| 4Clinical Pathology Department, South Egypt Cancer Institute, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt | ||||
| 5Microbiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Background: Diabetes autoantibodies are evidence of the autoimmune-mediated etiology of β-cell destruction in type 1 diabetes. These autoantibodies are against major β-cell antigens, namely glutamic acid decarboxylase and islet antigen-2. Rotavirus, a double-stranded RNA virus that causes gastroenteritis, has been investigated as a potential trigger for autoimmunity. Objectives: This study sought to determine the levels and prevalence of islet cell antibodies (ICA) and glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GADA) among diabetic children, to examine the frequency of rotavirus IgG and IgA antibodies, to assess the association between rotavirus antibodies and diabetic autoantibodies, and to determine the potential association between rotavirus infection and type 1 diabetes development. Methodology: A total of 70 diabetic children and 20 age- and gender-matched non-diabetic children were enrolled. GADA, ICA, and C-peptide were evaluated using commercial ELISA kits, while rotavirus IgA and IgG antibodies were assessed with in-house ELISA plates. Results: Autoantibodies were detected in 88.5% (62/70) of diabetic children, with GADA present in 84.2% and ICA in 60% of the diabetics. There was a positive correlation between GADA and ICA concentrations. Rotavirus antibodies were detected in 30% of diabetic children and were more prevalent in this group compared to controls. Moreover, autoantibodies were more prevalent among rotavirus antibody-positive diabetic children. Conclusions: The GADA autoantibodies are more prevalent than the ICA among the enrolled diabetic children. Rotavirus is a potential trigger for type 1 diabetes. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Autoantibodies; GADA; ICA; Rotavirus; Type 1 diabetes | ||||
|
Statistics Article View: 12 |
||||
