Islet-cell antibodies and insulin autoantibodies in association with common viral infections.

The appearance of islet-cell antibodies (ICA) and insulin autoantibodies (IAA) was sought in a prospective study of subjects with acute infections (mumps, rubella, chickenpox, and measles) followed for 6 months. IAA appeared in many patients' serum samples after these acute infections, IgM-IAA being more prevalent than IgG-IAA; there was a particularly high incidence (81%) after chickenpox. ICA were detected in 2 subjects--in 1 after rubella and in the other after measles, but this patient had evidence of previous rubella and a strong autoimmune family history. ICA did not appear after mumps. It is postulated that viral infections may trigger the production of IgM-IAA by a common mechanism involving polyclonal immunocyte activation.