Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in an Italian Cohort of Type 1 Diabetes Pediatric Patients

Abstract EN

Mycobacterium avium subsp.

paratuberculosis (MAP) is the etiological agent of Johne’s disease in ruminants.

Recent studies have linked MAP to type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the Sardinian population.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of MAP infection in a T1D cohort from continental Italy compared with healthy control subjects.

247 T1D subjects and 110 healthy controls were tested for the presence of MAP.

MAP DNA was detected using IS900-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

The presence of antibodies towards a MAP antigen, heparin binding hemoagglutinin (HBHA), was detected by ELISA.

We demonstrated a higher MAP DNA prevalence in plasma samples from T1D patients and a stronger immune response towards MAP HBHA, compared with healthy control subjects.

Moreover, in the recent onset patients, we observed an association between anti-MAP antibodies and HLA DQ2 (DQA1 0201/DQB1 0202).

These findings taken together support the hypothesis of MAP as an environmental risk factor for the development of T1D in genetically predisposed subjects, probably involving a mechanism of molecular mimicry between MAP antigens and pancreatic islet β-cells.