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Chronic aflatoxin exposure in children living in Bhaktapur, Nepal: Extension of the MAL-ED study

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 27, pages 106–111 (2017)Cite this article

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Abstract

Exposure to aflatoxin, a mycotoxin common in maize and groundnuts, has been associated with childhood stunting in sub-Saharan Africa. In an effort to further our understanding of growth impairment in relation to mycotoxins and other risk factors, biospecimens from a cohort of children enrolled in the Bhaktapur, Nepal MAL-ED study were assessed for aflatoxin exposure at 15, 24, and 36 months of age. Exposure was assessed through a well-established serum biomarker, the AFB1-lysine adduct. In this manuscript, the levels of aflatoxin exposure in the Nepal cohort were compared with those observed in aflatoxin studies, with child growth parameters as a health outcome. Results from this preliminary analysis demonstrated chronic aflatoxin exposure in children residing in Bhaktapur with a geometric mean of 3.62 pg AFB1-lysine/mg albumin. The range of exposure in this population is similar to those in African populations where associations with aflatoxin biomarkers and poor child growth have been observed. Future work will analyze the relationships between aflatoxin levels, growth, and other risk factors collected by the MAL-ED study.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (OPP1066247) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (T32ES007255). The Etiology, Risk Factors and Interactions of Enteric Infections and Malnutrition and the Consequences for Child Health and Development Project (MAL-ED) is carried out as a collaborative project supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institutes of Health, Fogarty International Center. We particularly thank the investigators, ground staff, and participants at the MAL-ED cohort study site in Bhaktapur, Nepal. We also thank Jency Showker for technical support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

    Nicole J Mitchell & Felicia Wu

  2. Toxicology and Mycotoxin Research Unit, National Poultry Disease Research Center, R.B. Russell Research Center, USDA-ARS, Athens, Georgia, USA

    Ronald T Riley

  3. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

    Patricia A Egner & John D Groopman

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Correspondence to Felicia Wu.

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Mitchell, N., Riley, R., Egner, P. et al. Chronic aflatoxin exposure in children living in Bhaktapur, Nepal: Extension of the MAL-ED study. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 27, 106–111 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2015.87

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