Lang C M, Munger B L
Diabetes. 1976 May;25(5):434-43. doi: 10.2337/diab.25.5.434.
Spontaneous diabetes mellitus has been documented in a colony of guinea pigs. The contagious nature of the disease has been verified, but the nature of the infectious agent is not known. Animals from the original colony or animals exposed to the colony with normal glucose tolerance tests (GTT) became diabetic, as evidenced by elevated one- and four-hour GTT values, and in most cases have significant glycosuria. The severity of pathologic changes in the pancreatic islets parallel, in general, the severity of the clinical symptoms (glycosuria and abnormal GTT). Those animals with severe glycosuria and elevated FBS as well as one- and four-hour GTT values had the most pronounced degranulation and most prominent cytoplasmic inclusions in islet B cells. The severity of scarring in the islets can be correlated with the duration of the overt diabetic state. The other clinical parameters of note were elevated serum triglycerides, normal serum but elevated aortic cholesterol, and absence of ketonemia or ketonuria. The reproductive capacity of diabetic females was compromised. While the clinical manifestations are mild or variable, the presence of significant islet pathology is reminiscent of human juvenile diabetes mellitus. These findings lend support to the concept that infectious and/or immune mechanisms could be operative in the etiology and pathogenesis of human diabetes mellitus.
在一群豚鼠中已记录到自发性糖尿病。该疾病的传染性已得到证实，但感染因子的性质尚不清楚。来自原始豚鼠群的动物或葡萄糖耐量试验（GTT）正常但接触过该豚鼠群的动物会患糖尿病，这可通过1小时和4小时GTT值升高得到证明，并且在大多数情况下有明显的糖尿。胰岛病理变化的严重程度一般与临床症状（糖尿和异常GTT）的严重程度平行。那些有严重糖尿、空腹血糖升高以及1小时和4小时GTT值升高的动物，其胰岛B细胞脱颗粒最明显，细胞质内含物最突出。胰岛瘢痕形成的严重程度与明显糖尿病状态的持续时间相关。其他值得注意的临床参数包括血清甘油三酯升高、血清正常但主动脉胆固醇升高，以及无酮血症或酮尿。糖尿病雌性动物的生殖能力受损。虽然临床表现轻微或多变，但明显的胰岛病理变化让人联想到人类青少年糖尿病。这些发现支持了感染和/或免疫机制可能在人类糖尿病的病因和发病机制中起作用的观点。
