Simonsen JR, Järvinen A, Hietala K, et al. - This study draws on data from the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study (FinnDiane), a prospective follow-up study, to explore the connection between bacterial infections and diabetic retinopathy (DR). The sample consisted of 1,043 adult individuals with type 1 diabetes. People with incident severe diabetic retinopathy [SDR] (n = 413) had a higher mean number of antibiotic purchases/follow-up year vs those without incident SDR (n = 630), as well as higher levels of LPS activity. Findings suggested an association of bacterial infections with an increased risk of incident SDR in type 1 diabetes.