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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Effects of in utero arsenic exposure on child immunity and morbidity in rural Bangladesh
Toxicology Letters, Volume 185, No. 3, Year 2009
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Description
Chronic exposure to arsenic, a potent carcinogen and toxicant, via drinking water is a worldwide public health problem. Because little is known about early-life effects of arsenic on immunity, we evaluated the impact of in utero exposure on infant immune parameters and morbidity in a pilot study. Pregnant women were enrolled at 6-10 weeks of gestation in Matlab, a rural area of Bangladesh, extensively affected by arsenic contamination of tubewell water. Women (n = 140) delivering at local clinics were included in the study. Anthropometry and morbidity data of the pregnant women and their children, as well as infant thymic size by sonography were collected. Maternal urine and breast milk were collected for immune marker and arsenic assessment. Maternal urinary arsenic during pregnancy showed significant negative correlation with interleukin-7 (IL-7) and lactoferrin (Ltf) in breast milk and child thymic index (TI). Urinary arsenic was also positively associated with fever and diarrhea during pregnancy and acute respiratory infections (ARI) in the infants. The effect of arsenic exposure on ARI was only evident in male children. The findings suggest that in utero arsenic exposure impaired child thymic development and enhanced morbidity, probably via immunosuppression. The effect seemed to be partially gender dependent. Arsenic exposure also affected breast milk content of trophic factors and maternal morbidity. © 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Raqib, Rubhana
Bangladesh, Dhaka
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh
Ahmed, Sultan M.
Bangladesh, Dhaka
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh
Wagatsuma, Yukiko
Japan, Tsukuba
University of Tsukuba
Mondal, Dinesh K.
Bangladesh, Dhaka
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh
Waheedul Hoque, A. M.
Bangladesh, Dhaka
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh
Yunus, Mohammad Faisal Mohammed
Bangladesh, Dhaka
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh
Roy, Shantonu
Bangladesh, Dhaka
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh
Persson, Lars Åke Å.
Sweden, Uppsala
Akademiska Sjukhuset
Arifeen, Shams E.
Bangladesh, Dhaka
International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh
Moore, Sophie E.
United Kingdom, London
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Vahter, Marie E.
Sweden, Stockholm
Karolinska Institutet
Statistics
Citations: 206
Authors: 11
Affiliations: 5
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.toxlet.2009.01.001
ISSN:
03784274
Research Areas
Environmental
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health
Sexual And Reproductive Health
Participants Gender
Male
Female