Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease caused by complex interactions between host genetics and environmental factors, culminating in the T-cell mediated destruction of the insulin producing cells in the pancreas. The rapid increase in disease frequency over the past 50 years or more has been too rapid to attribute to genetics. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is currently being widely investigated as a major contributor to environmental change driving increased T1D onset. In this chapter, we discuss the major changes in gut microbiota composition and function linked to T1D risk as well as the potential origin of these changes including infant diet, antibiotic use and host genetics. We examine the interaction between inflammation and gut barrier function and the dysbiotic gut microbiota that have been linked to T1D.
Keywords: Autoimmunity; Disease risk; Dysbiosis; Environmental interactions; Gut barrier function; Intestinal inflammation; Microbiome; Type 1 diabetes.
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