Dietary SCFAs during perinatal development prevents antibiotic-induced T1D

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease resulting in the destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. T1D generates an enormous economic and health burden worldwide. In the past decade, the global incidence of T1D in children <14 years old has increased by 30%, at an average rate of 2.8% per year1. The development of beta cell autoimmunity occurs very early in life prior to the onset of clinical T1D2. During this early period, the widespread use of antibiotics has been proposed as a cause for the growing rate of T1D3,4. Antibiotics cause profound changes in the gut microbiota5,6, which play a central role in the development of the infant immune system7. This may be contributing to the dramatic and rapid increase of T1D3,8. Mothers are key to establishing the microbiota in infants5CIA9. During the perinatal stage (pregnancy and breastfeeding) T1D has not yet manifested, but subtle biological changes that contribute to the development of the disease might be already occurring6. However, very little is known about the early immune and microbial events that happen during the perinatal stage and how these may impact disease progression.