Diabetes and Viruses

Keith Taylor, Heikki Hyöty, Antonio Toniolo, Arie J. Zuckerman

Diabetes, in all of its forms, now constitutes a growing health concern, affecting all segments of the world’s population. There is great interest in the factors which influence its etiology and progression. Among these, a number of viruses feature prominently. Hindered by technological limitations, research into this relationship has hitherto been scarce. Recent advances, however, have opened up the field and there is a burgeoning body of literature on the subject. Unfortunately, this literature has been diffuse and often difficult to access. For the first time, this book compiles the views of many of the world’s experts in the field. It addresses questions, ranging from how viruses may destroy or modify the function of pancreatic islets; to which viruses are the most likely culprits; to whether vaccines or etiologic therapies might be used to prevent virus-induced diabetes. Diabetes...