Islet cell antibodies and the development of diabetes mellitus in relation to mumps infection and mumps vaccination.

Islet cell antibodies were investigated in 127 non-diabetic children after mumps infection and in four out of seven children who developed diabetes mellitus shortly after active mumps vaccination. Twenty-one of the children who had mumps and all four vaccinated children who were tested had islet cell cytoplasmic antibodies. In contrast, islet cell surface antibodies were detected in 43 out of 68 patients with mumps infection and in 32 out of 44 patients with other viral diseases. All but one mumps-infected child and all the other viral infected patients investigated did not develop diabetes mellitus. The mumps-infected ICA positive children did not show those HLA-frequencies associated with Type 1 diabetes.