Arsenic exposure and hepatitis E virus infection during pregnancy.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Arsenic has immunomodulatory properties and may have the potential to alter susceptibility to infection in humans.

Objectives

We aimed to assess the relation of arsenic exposure during pregnancy with immune function and hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection, defined as seroconversion during pregnancy and postpartum.

Methods

We assessed IgG seroconversion to HEV between 1st and 3rd trimester (TM) and 3 months postpartum (PP) among 1100 pregnancies in a multiple micronutrient supplementation trial in rural Bangladesh. Forty women seroconverted to HEV and were matched with 40 non-seroconverting women (controls) by age, parity and intervention. We assessed urinary inorganic arsenic plus methylated species (∑As) (µg/L) at 1st and 3rd TM and plasma cytokines (pg/mL)

SUBMITTER: Heaney CD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4609253 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature