title: Chronic aflatoxin exposure in children living in Bhaktapur, Nepal: Extension of the MAL-ED study.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.affiliation: Toxicology and Mycotoxin Research Unit, National Poultry Disease Research Center, R.B. Russell Research Center, USDA-ARS, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Egner
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Groopman
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Felicia
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000348:Aflatoxins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000097:blood*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D037341:Fumonisins / Q000652:urine; D006130:Growth Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009390:Nepal; D011042:Poisons / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000348:Aflatoxins; D015415:Biomarkers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D037341:Fumonisins; D011042:Poisons; C056933:fumonisin B1