title: Sudden infant death syndrome: what questions should we ask?
abstract: A limited historical perspective can affect the questions we pose about the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) issue. Evidence is presented from the literature that the SIDS rate in Western countries was low prior to World War II and peaked in the 1980s. An analogy is drawn with the trends in the prevalence of some infectious diseases, and questions are posed from the perspective of a bacterial toxin hypothesis of SIDS causation.
authors.affiliation: School of Agricultural Sciences, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Vic, Australia. jane.pearce@latrobe.edu.au
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pearce
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Luke
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Bettelheim
mesh_terms: D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000378:metabolism; D019049:Developed Countries; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins