Mechanisms of defective delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity in children with protein-calorie malnutrition
Mechanisms of defective delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity in children with protein-calorie malnutrition. results suggest that interpretation of EBV-Ab among Kilimanjaro children was complicated by its indirect relationship with CMI. Among our sample, CMI increased with age and adequate nutrition and was compromised A-889425 during acute ID. The suggestive CMI-compromising effect of increasing height-forage may bear further exploration. to mount a cell-mediated immune response. Recent anthropological research has investigated variability in immune function, as well as predictors and outcomes associated with this variability (Shell-Duncan, 1993, 1995, 1997; Shell-Duncan and Wood, 1997; McDade, 2001, 2002; McDade et al., 2000a, 2001a, 2008; Gurven et al., 2008; Muehlenbein et al., 2010; Wander et al., 2012a). Such research is usually inherently population-based, and is often conducted in remote and challenging field settings (where infrastructure is usually poor, and access to healthcare is limited). Children are often the subjects of such research (e.g., Shell-Duncan, 1993; 1995; 1997; Shell-Duncan and Solid wood, 1997; Wander et al., 2012a), as they are particularly vulnerable to ID, often due to immature or compromised CMI. The practical constraints of population-based research, remote settings, and young research subjects complicate the use of biomarkers of CMI in anthropological research. We evaluated predictors of two biomarkers of CMI, delayed-type hypersensitivity to (DTH-exposure (Lee and Holzman, 2002). Conversely, DTH screening with an antigen Rabbit Polyclonal to EPHA3/4/5 (phospho-Tyr779/833) to which exposure can be assumed, such as the ubiquitous fungal pathogen, is the causative agent of thrush (oral candidiasis) and yeast infection (vaginal candidiasis); among severely immunocompromised individuals, it can cause life-threatening systemic contamination (candidemia). Occasionally (when neither intact CMI nor exposure can be assumed), DTH to tuberculin PPD and are evaluated simultaneously; for example, to screen for exposure among HIV-infected individuals (e.g., Huebner et al., 1994). Delayed-type hypersensitivity is an appealing biomarker of CMI because it allows direct observation of a subjects cell-mediated immune response to a pathogen antigen. The drawbacks of employing DTH in population-based studies of immune function are (1) interpretation: previous exposure to the recall antigen (e.g., that is observed, but a consequence of its failureelevated antibody productionwhich is usually itself an aspect of immune function. EBV Ab is usually appealing as a biomarker of CMI for its practicality: it can be very easily, accurately, and cheaply measured in whole blood stored as dried blood spots (DBS), lending it to use in population-based research A-889425 in a wide range of field settings and among subjects of all ages. Work in multiple settings has demonstrated consistent patterns: cell-mediated immune function increases with age during early child years; and, male sex, undernutrition, and acute contamination A-889425 are risk factors for CMI failure (Washburn et al., 1965; Neumann et al., 1975; Kniker et al., 1985; Pinner et al., 1996; Zaman et al., 1997; Shell-Duncan, 1997). On the basis of this literature, we expected to observe among children in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania: (1) increased CMI among older children (manifest as a positive association between age and DTH-and EBV Ab. MATERIALS AND METHODS Participants This project was carried out in the Machame area of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. 314 2- to 7-year-old children participated in the project, randomly sampled from a census of all 2- to 7-year-old children in the study area. Children were eligible to participate if they were living with at least 1 parent and had been living in the study area for at least 6 months. Data collection Data were collected over the course of 4 weeks in spring of 2010. Children and their main caregiving parents participated in 2 days of data collection. Data were collected by the lead author and 4 field assistants (residents of the study area and medical staff trained in data collection techniques) at a healthcare facility belonging to Nshara Community Medical Center (NCMC). Written informed consent was obtained from parents of all participating children. Procedures and data collection protocols were approved by the Institutional A-889425 Review Table of the University or college of Washington and the Tanzanian National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and research permission obtained from the Tanzanian Commission rate for Science and Technology (COSTECH). Caregivers provided household and family demographic information and explained the childs recent health and medical history. Each childs finger was pricked with a sterile lancet to obtain capillary whole blood; blood was immediately tested for HIV (SD BioLine HIV-1/2 3.0 rapid HIV-1/2 test) and hemoglobin concentration (HemoCue Hb 201+ hemoglobin system)..