Aflatoxin exposure in utero and birth and growth outcomes in Tanzania

Some evidence suggests that aflatoxin may contribute to the high prevalence of stunting observed in low‐income countries. Whereas several studies have been conducted in West Africa, fewer exist in East Africa and even fewer in nonagricultural contexts. We analyzed serum samples from 400 iron‐replete...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Maternal and child nutrition 2020-04, Vol.16 (2), p.e12917-n/a
Main Authors: Passarelli, Simone, Bromage, Sabri, Darling, Anne Marie, Wang, Jia‐Sheng, Aboud, Said, Mugusi, Ferdinand, Griffiths, Jeffrey K., Fawzi, Wafaie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aflatoxin
Aflatoxin B1 - blood
Aflatoxins
Albumin
Analysis
Birth weight
Birth Weight - physiology
Childbirth & labor
Crops
Developing countries
Failure to thrive
Female
Fetal Development - physiology
Gestational Age
Growth
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobins
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Infants
Iron
LDCs
Longitudinal Studies
Low income areas
Lysine
Original
Plasma
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications - blood
Pregnant women
Prenatal exposure
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects - blood
Proteins
Quality control
Rural populations
Serum
Tanzania
Toxicity
Women
Womens health
Young Adult
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Summary:Some evidence suggests that aflatoxin may contribute to the high prevalence of stunting observed in low‐income countries. Whereas several studies have been conducted in West Africa, fewer exist in East Africa and even fewer in nonagricultural contexts. We analyzed serum samples from 400 iron‐replete, nonanemic pregnant women from a cohort in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to determine the extent and magnitude of exposure to aflatoxin and to study the relationship between levels of aflatoxin exposure in utero and infant birth and growth outcomes. Ninety‐nine percent of women had detectable concentrations of aflatoxin B1‐lysine (AFB1‐lysine), with a median level of 1.4‐pg/mg albumin, indicating a much lower level compared to studies of rural populations in sub‐Saharan Africa. Our results do not show a statistically significant relationship between AFB1‐lysine levels and birth weight, small for gestational age, or prematurity. We observe a small statistically significant reduction in gestational age at delivery (0.47 weeks; 95% CI: −0.86, −0.07) as the natural log of AFB1‐lysine levels increases by 1 unit of pg/mg of albumin, after controlling for potential confounders. Among a nonrandom set of infants who had measurements for placental weight, haemoglobin at delivery, and follow‐up z‐score measurements, we find no association between aflatoxin plasma concentrations and these variables. These findings suggest a high prevalence of chronic low‐level exposure to aflatoxin, though its effect on birth outcomes in this population remains unclear. Our research adds to a growing body of literature finding mixed associations between aflatoxins on pregnancy outcomes and child growth.
ISSN:1740-8695
1740-8709
DOI:10.1111/mcn.12917