Maternal Geohelminth Infections Are Associated with an Increased Susceptibility to Geohelminth Infection in Children: A Case-Control Study

Background: Children of mothers infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STH) may have an increased susceptibility to STH infection. Methods and Findings: We did a case-control study nested in a birth cohort in Ecuador. Data from 1,004 children aged 7 months to 3 years were analyzed. Cases were defined as children with Ascaris lumbricoides and/or Trichuris trichiura, controls without. Exposure was defined as maternal infection with A. lumbricoides and/or T. trichiura, detected during the third trimester of pregnancy. The analysis was restricted to households with a documented infection to control for infection risk. Children of mothers with STH infections had a greater risk of infection compared to children of uninfected mothers (adjusted OR 2.61, 95% CI: 1.88–3.63, p,0.001). This effect was particularly strong in children of mothers with both STH infections (adjusted OR: 5.91, 95% CI: 3.55–9.81, p,0.001). Newborns of infected mothers had greater levels of plasma IL-10 than those of uninfected mothers (p = 0.033), and there was evidence that cord blood IL-10 was increased among newborns who became infected later in childhood (p = 0.060). Conclusion: Our data suggest that maternal STH infections increase susceptibility to infection during early childhood, an effect that was associated with elevated IL-10 in cord plasma

Effects of environment on human cytokine responses during childhood in the tropics: role of urban versus rural residence.

BACKGROUND: Environment may have a key role in the development of the immune system in childhood and environmental exposures associated with rural residence may explain the low prevalence of allergic and autoimmune diseases in the rural tropics. We investigated the effects of urban versus rural residence on the adaptive immune response in children living in urban and rural areas in a tropical region of Latin America. METHODS: We recruited school children in either rural communities in the Province of Esmeraldas or in urban neighborhoods in the city of Esmeraldas, Ecuador. We collected data on environmental exposures by questionnaire and on intestinal parasites by examination of stool samples. Peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) in whole blood were stimulated with superantigen, parasite antigens and aeroallergens and IFN-γ, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, and IL-17 were measured in supernatants. RESULTS: We evaluated 440 school children; 210 living in rural communities and 230 in the city of Esmeraldas. Overall, urban children had greater access to piped water (urban 98.7 % vs. rural 1.9 %), were more likely to have a household bathroom (urban 97.4 % vs. rural 54.8 %), and were less likely to be infected with soil-transmitted helminth infections (urban 20.9 % vs. rural 73.5 %). Generally, detectable levels of cytokines were more frequent in blood from children living in urban than rural areas. Urban residence was associated with a significantly greater frequency of IL-10 production spontaneously (adjusted OR 2.56, 95 % CI 1.05-6.24) and on stimulation with Ascaris (adj. OR 2.5, 95 % CI 1.09-5.79) and house dust mite (adj. 2.24, 95 % CI 1.07-4.70) antigens. Analysis of effects of environmental exposures on SEB-induced IL-10 production within urban and rural populations showed that some environmental exposures indicative of poor hygiene (urban - higher birth order, A. lumbricoides infection; rural - no bathroom, more peri-domiciliary animals, and living in a wood/bamboo house) were associated with elevated IL-10. CONCLUSIONS: In our study population, the immune response of children living in an urban environment was associated more frequently with the production of the immune regulatory cytokine, IL-10. Some factors related to poor hygiene and living conditions were associated with elevated IL-10 production within urban and rural populations

Cuentos de nunca acabar. Aproximaciones desde la interculturalidad

Cuentos de nunca acabar. Aproximaciones desde la interculturalidad, surge después de la pandemia y su imposibilidad de socializar “en persona” con los compañeros de eventuales encuentros, porque la Comprensión Lectora tenía que reinventarse para su nueva reflexión cognitiva, adaptación contextual y reconstrucción del conocimiento. Este renovado enfoque de la realidad postpandemia, concebido en el marco de la educación intercultural comunitaria, busca potencializar los entornos naturales, sociales y culturales como recursos de aprendizaje multidisciplinario a través del lenguaje animado de los cuentos. En este marco, había que dinamizar la asignatura de Comunicación Oral y Escrita, que se dicta en los Primeros Niveles de los Centros de Apoyo de Otavalo, Cayambe, Latacunga y Riobamba, mediante un eje transversal donde los estudiantes escriban fundamentados en valores de la cosmovisión andina, considerando que provienen de varios lugares de la sierra y amazonía ecuatoriana. Todo surgió del encuentro presencial de un sábado cualquiera donde los estudiantes realizaban ejercicios narrativos, logrando una apreciable respuesta de imaginación, más emotiva que la clásica tarea de las Unidades, tanto así que, pasados unos días, seguían llegando sus escritos a mi correo. Entonces nos pusimos manos a la obra, cada estudiante tendría dos opciones como Actividad Integradora, la primera consistía en escribir un cuento de su propia inspiración, y la segunda analizar un clásico para comentar sus valores y antivalores. La mayor parte de estudiantes decidió escribir su propio cuento, de donde se escogieron algunas participaciones que podrían considerarse originales, para una edición que, respetando la transcripción de la tradición oral que prima en los sectores comunitarios, nos concretamos en revisar la puntuación y ortografía para publicarlos. Con esto buscamos innovar la Actividad Integradora, por algo más práctico y operativo para configurar los Objetos de Aprendizaje que buscamos. Así nació, en medio del camino, este libro de Cuentos de nunca acabar. Aproximaciones desde la interculturalidad, que ponemos en sus manos. Hernán Hermosa Mantilla Quito, junio de 202

Maternal Geohelminth Infections Are Associated with an Increased Susceptibility to Geohelminth Infection in Children: A Case-Control Study. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 6(7): doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0001753 Available: http://www.plosntds.org/article/

Abstract Background: Children of mothers infected with soil-transmitted helminths (STH) may have an increased susceptibility to STH infection

Effects of maternal infection on childhood infection intensities and overdispersion.

a<p>Rate Ratios (RR) calculated by negative binomial regression models and adjusted for sex, maternal educational level, monthly income, household electric appliances, water source, bathroom facility, crowding, and number of follow-up evaluations.</p><p>Abbreviations: CI = Confidence Interval.</p><p>Parameters were estimated and statistical comparisons were performed using negative binomial distributions.</p

Characteristics of cases and controls.

<p>Cases are children infected with either <i>A. lumbricoides</i> or <i>T. trichiura</i>, and controls are uninfected children. Values are frequencies (separated by/), percentages (%), and medians (range in parentheses). epg – eggs per gram of stool.</p>a<p>1 = illiterate, 2 = primary incomplete, 3 = primary, 4 = secondary incomplete, 5 = secondary, 6 = advanced incomplete, 7 = advanced.</p

Effects of any, both, or single maternal infection with <i>A. lumbricoides</i> and <i>T. trichiura</i> on childhood susceptibility to any STH infection.

a<p>ORs adjusted for age, sex, maternal educational level, monthly income, household electric appliances, water source, bathroom facility, crowding, and number of follow-up evaluations.</p>b<p>With <i>A. lumbricoides</i> and/or <i>T. trichiura</i>.</p>c<p>With <i>A. lumbricoides</i> or <i>T. trichiura</i> only.</p><p>Abbreviations: CI = Confidence Interval.</p><p>Statistical comparisons were performed using logistic regressions.</p

Plasma IL-10 levels in cord blood samples from newborns.

<p>Panel A: comparison of IL-10 levels between infected children (cases) and uninfected children (controls). Panel B: comparison IL-10 levels between children of uninfected and infected mothers. Box plots show median values (central line), inter-quartile range (box margins), 95% confidence intervals (bars), and outlying values (diamonds). Statistical comparisons were conducted using Mann-Whitney U tests.</p