M. Leigh Ackland, Julia Bornhorst, George V. Dedoussis, Rodney R. Dietert, Jerome O. Nriagu, Jozef M. Pacyna, and John M. Pettifor
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262029193
- eISBN:
- 9780262327619
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262029193.003.0017
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
By reducing immune function, trace metal deficiencies may substantially contribute to the global burden of diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria. Human activities may be contributing to trace metal ...
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By reducing immune function, trace metal deficiencies may substantially contribute to the global burden of diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria. Human activities may be contributing to trace metal deficiency in soils and plants by exacerbating the preponderance of cereals and cash crops that reduce food diversity and micronutrient intake. Adaptive strategies are needed to reverse these trends. Anthropogenic activities have led to increased toxic metal exposure, and effects on human hosts need clarification. Metal toxicities can also impair the immune system and hence increase the susceptibility to infectious pathogens. Climate change affects metal speciation and the build-up of trace elements in the human food chain, with as yet unknown outcomes on infectious disease. Food processing and the use of metallic nanomaterials can alter human exposure to metals in ways that can influence the host–pathogen competition for metals. The effects of metals on human health may also be mediated through modification of the epigenome, conferring drug resistance on pathogenic bacteria and enhancing/ reducing human tolerance to infectious parasites. The emerging metals cerium, gadolinium, lanthanum, and yttrium constitute another driver of change in metal exposure and may potentially modulate the immune system with unknown consequences for human health.Less
By reducing immune function, trace metal deficiencies may substantially contribute to the global burden of diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria. Human activities may be contributing to trace metal deficiency in soils and plants by exacerbating the preponderance of cereals and cash crops that reduce food diversity and micronutrient intake. Adaptive strategies are needed to reverse these trends. Anthropogenic activities have led to increased toxic metal exposure, and effects on human hosts need clarification. Metal toxicities can also impair the immune system and hence increase the susceptibility to infectious pathogens. Climate change affects metal speciation and the build-up of trace elements in the human food chain, with as yet unknown outcomes on infectious disease. Food processing and the use of metallic nanomaterials can alter human exposure to metals in ways that can influence the host–pathogen competition for metals. The effects of metals on human health may also be mediated through modification of the epigenome, conferring drug resistance on pathogenic bacteria and enhancing/ reducing human tolerance to infectious parasites. The emerging metals cerium, gadolinium, lanthanum, and yttrium constitute another driver of change in metal exposure and may potentially modulate the immune system with unknown consequences for human health.
Jerome O. Nriagu and Eric P. Skaar (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262029193
- eISBN:
- 9780262327619
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262029193.001.0001
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
Many parts of the world endemic for the most common infectious diseases have the highest prevalence rates of trace metal deficiencies and increasing rates of trace metal pollution. The co-clustering ...
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Many parts of the world endemic for the most common infectious diseases have the highest prevalence rates of trace metal deficiencies and increasing rates of trace metal pollution. The co-clustering of major infectious diseases with trace metal deficiency or toxicity has created a complex web of interactions with serious but poorly understood health repercussions. Infectious diseases can increase human susceptibility to adverse effects of metal exposure while metal excess or deficiency can increase the incidence or severity of infectious diseases. The combined effects of exposure to metals and pathogens on the burden of disease and the mechanisms of interactions between trace metals, pathogens, and the environment have largely been overlooked in animal and human studies. Drawing on expertise from several fields, this book focuses on the distribution, trafficking, fate, and effects of trace metals in biological systems, with the goal of enhancing our understanding of the relationships between homeostatic mechanisms of trace metals and the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. It provides a comprehensive review of current knowledge on vertebrate metal-withholding mechanisms and the strategies employed by different microbes to compete for metals to avoid starvation (or poisoning). State-of-the-art analytical techniques available to investigate pathogen-metal interactions are summarized and open questions highlighted to guide future research. Improving knowledge in these areas will be instrumental to the generation of novel therapeutic countermeasures against infectious diseases.Less
Many parts of the world endemic for the most common infectious diseases have the highest prevalence rates of trace metal deficiencies and increasing rates of trace metal pollution. The co-clustering of major infectious diseases with trace metal deficiency or toxicity has created a complex web of interactions with serious but poorly understood health repercussions. Infectious diseases can increase human susceptibility to adverse effects of metal exposure while metal excess or deficiency can increase the incidence or severity of infectious diseases. The combined effects of exposure to metals and pathogens on the burden of disease and the mechanisms of interactions between trace metals, pathogens, and the environment have largely been overlooked in animal and human studies. Drawing on expertise from several fields, this book focuses on the distribution, trafficking, fate, and effects of trace metals in biological systems, with the goal of enhancing our understanding of the relationships between homeostatic mechanisms of trace metals and the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. It provides a comprehensive review of current knowledge on vertebrate metal-withholding mechanisms and the strategies employed by different microbes to compete for metals to avoid starvation (or poisoning). State-of-the-art analytical techniques available to investigate pathogen-metal interactions are summarized and open questions highlighted to guide future research. Improving knowledge in these areas will be instrumental to the generation of novel therapeutic countermeasures against infectious diseases.
Jerome O. Nriagu
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262029193
- eISBN:
- 9780262327619
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262029193.003.0012
- Subject:
- Public Health and Epidemiology, Public Health
Trace metals are required in small quantities for a wide array of metabolic functions in the body. In terms of obesity, they can enhance insulin action through activating insulin receptor sites, ...
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Trace metals are required in small quantities for a wide array of metabolic functions in the body. In terms of obesity, they can enhance insulin action through activating insulin receptor sites, serve as cofactors or components for enzyme systems involved in glucose metabolism, increase insulin sensitivity, and act as antioxidants to prevent tissue oxidation. Chronic hyperglycemia causes significant alterations in the status of many trace metals in the body and consequently increases the oxidative stress which can contribute to the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Whether obese individuals with trace metal deficiency (or toxicity) are at increased risk for infection is a matter of concern in many developing countries, where a growing segment of the population (exposed to traditional health risks) has embraced Western dietary habits. A better understanding of the roles of different trace metals will undoubtedly facilitate the development of new treatment and prevention strategies that can more effectively reduce the silent burden of comorbid obesity and infectious diseases.Less
Trace metals are required in small quantities for a wide array of metabolic functions in the body. In terms of obesity, they can enhance insulin action through activating insulin receptor sites, serve as cofactors or components for enzyme systems involved in glucose metabolism, increase insulin sensitivity, and act as antioxidants to prevent tissue oxidation. Chronic hyperglycemia causes significant alterations in the status of many trace metals in the body and consequently increases the oxidative stress which can contribute to the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. Whether obese individuals with trace metal deficiency (or toxicity) are at increased risk for infection is a matter of concern in many developing countries, where a growing segment of the population (exposed to traditional health risks) has embraced Western dietary habits. A better understanding of the roles of different trace metals will undoubtedly facilitate the development of new treatment and prevention strategies that can more effectively reduce the silent burden of comorbid obesity and infectious diseases.
