New research finds that bacteria may be a surprising cause of Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at the University of Iowa say they have found a link between Staphylococcus aureus, or staph - the same microbe responsible for cellulitis, toxic shock syndrome, and sepsis - and Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes.

They performed an experiment in which they discovered that rabbits exposed to the toxins from the bacteria developed the hallmark symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, including insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and systemic inflammation.

As people gain weight, they develop colonies of staph germs on their skin, and these toxins interact with fat cells and the immune system to cause chronic systemic inflammation, which leads to insulin resistance and other symptoms of Type 2 diabetes, the researchers said.

They also examined the skin of four obese people with diabetes and found that their exposure to the staph infection was proportionally equal to the dosage that caused the rabbits to develop diabetes symptoms.

The researchers are using these findings to develop a vaccine that they hope may protect against staph and thus diabetes.