A cohort study of developmental polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in relation to post-vaccination antibody response at 6-months of age.
BACKGROUND
Extensive experimental data in animals indicate that exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) during pregnancy leads to changes in offspring immune function during the postnatal period. Whether developmental PCB exposure influences immunologic development in humans has received little study.


METHODS
The study population was 384 mother-infant pairs recruited from two districts of eastern Slovakia for whom prospectively collected maternal, cord, and 6-month infant blood specimens were available. Several PCB congeners were measured in maternal, cord, and 6-month infant sera by high-resolution gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Concentrations of IgG-specific anti-haemophilus influenzae type b, tetanus toxoid, and diphtheria toxoid were assayed in 6-month infant sera using ELISA methods. Multiple linear regression was used to estimate the relation between maternal, cord, and 6-month infant PCB concentrations and the antibody concentrations evaluated at 6-months of age.


RESULTS
Overall, there was little evidence of an association between infant antibody concentrations and PCB measures during the pre- and early postnatal period. In addition, our results did not show specificity in terms of associations limited to a particular developmental period (e.g. pre- vs. postnatal), a particular antibody, or a particular PCB congener.


CONCLUSIONS
At the PCB concentrations measured in this cohort, which are high relative to most human populations today, we did not detect an association between maternal or early postnatal PCB exposure and specific antibody responses at 6-months of age.
Jusko
Todd A
TA
Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2233, USA. juskota@niehs.nih.gov
De Roos
Anneclaire J
AJ
Schwartz
Stephen M
SM
Lawrence
B Paige
BP
Palkovicova
Lubica
L
Nemessanyi
Tomas
T
Drobna
Beata
B
Fabisikova
Anna
A
Kocan
Anton
A
Sonneborn
Dean
D
Jahnova
Eva
E
Kavanagh
Terrance J
TJ
Trnovec
Tomas
T
Hertz-Picciotto
Irva
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004168:Diphtheria Toxoid / Q000276:immunology; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D048788:Growth and Development / Q000187:drug effects; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D019741:Haemophilus influenzae type b / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid / Q000276:immunology; D055815:Young Adult
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D004168:Diphtheria Toxoid; D018073:Haemophilus Vaccines; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid; D011078:Polychlorinated Biphenyls