title: Viruses and type 1 diabetes: ignorance acquires a better vocabulary.
abstract: The hypothesis that a virus might in some way be involved in the causation of type 1 diabetes has a long history, but decades of research have failed to resolve the issue beyond reasonable doubt. Viruses could potentially play a primary role in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes by initiating autoimmunity, a secondary role by promoting established immune responses, or a tertiary role by precipitating the onset of hyperglycaemia. There is currently little evidence to suggest that viruses play a primary role in the causation of type 1 diabetes, let alone a necessary or sufficient role. Secondary or tertiary roles remain possible, but have yet to be confirmed in prospective studies.
authors.affiliation: University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. edwin.gale@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: E A M
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Gale
mesh_terms: D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D015551:Autoimmunity; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000276:immunology; D014780:Viruses / Q000276:immunology