| Summary: | Celiac disease, a chronic immune-mediated disorder of the small intestine, manifests in a fraction of individuals with genetic predispositions consuming gluten. Environmental factors play an essential role in its triggering. The environmental stimuli may include dietary factors, infections etc. Identification of specific triggers could help in celiac disease prevention. Our research project focused on common intestinal infections in infancy. We investigated adenoviruses and enteroviruses in stool specimens of children carrying a high-risk HLA genotype for celiac disease. We aimed to determine whether these infections are associated with early markers of celiac autoimmunity, and to identify virus genotypes. To distinguish multiple infections, massive parallel amplicon sequencing was utilized. During 2001-2007, nearly 50.000 Norwegian newborns were screened within the MIDIA study for the presence of the HLA DR3-DQ2/DR4-DQ8 genotype, which is known to significantly increase the risk of celiac disease. The risk genotype was identified in 912 babies. Up to three years of children's age, monthly stool specimens were collected and archived. Blood sampling was done every three months up to the age of a year, and then annually. Periodical questionnaires on children's thrive were collected. During 2014-2016,...
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