MAP is a pathogenic bacterium infecting livestock and is prevalent in dairy products.  Because some of its proteins are sequentially homologous to human zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8) protein and proinsulin (PI), children could develop autoimmunity against ZnT8 and PI after being exposed to MAP in dairy foods and generate antibodies against MAP and might subsequently develop type I diabetes.  The hypothesis was tested using ZnT8, PI, and MAP peptides synthesized by LifeTein to assess the cross-reactivity of antibodies in sera samples from at-risk children.

Type 1 Diabetes in Children

Journal of Diabetes Research, Article ID 5842701, in press. Recognition of ZnT8, Proinsulin, and Homologous MAP Peptides in Sardinian Children at Risk of T1D Precedes Detection of Classical Islet Antibodies.