Antibodies produced against the commonly used antibiotic, gentamicin, appear to increase the risk of type 1 diabetes in children already genetically at risk, scientists say.
When Medical College of Georgia scientists compared the blood of nearly 300 individuals with type 1 diabetes to healthy controls, they found that a higher level of antibodies against gentamicin was associated with increased risk of progression to type 1 diabetes. G418 and sisomicin, analogs of gentamicin, also showed a similar association.
Their study analyzed samples from the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY) and Phenome and Genome of Diabetic Autoantibody (PAGODA). The databases studied did not state whether study participants had been given gentamicin. However, anywhere between 5-10% of newborns receive the broad-spectrum antibiotic to treat potentially lethal sepsis.
They report in the journal Nature Communications that a similar percentage, 5.3% of the participants, had high levels of these antibodies and a high percentage of this group later developed type 1 diabetes, says Sharad Purohit, PhD, a biochemist in the MCG Center for Biotechnology and Genomic Medicine.
It’s not uncommon for antibiotics to prompt production of antibodies because the body views them as foreign. In this study, scientists looked at antibodies to glycans, which are found on the surface our cells as well as the cells of microorganisms like bacteria and are known to be a ready target for this immune response.
They saw in these cohorts what others have seen: varying levels of antibodies against several classes of glycans, which may have an indirect role in the control of the immune response. The scientists note that the relationships they are seeing need further exploration to better understand how — and if — the pieces fit together to increase a child’s risk of type 1 diabetes.