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Published on: August 7, 2017
A cohort study of developmental polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) exposure in relation to post-vaccination antibody
Todd A Jusko1, Anneclaire J De Roos, Stephen M Schwartz
1Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2233, USA. juskota@niehs.nih.gov
Insights
This study found no link between high polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure in mothers and infants and infant antibody responses at six months. Developmental PCB exposure did not impact immune development in this cohort.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Immunotoxicology
- Pediatric Health
Background:
- Animal studies suggest prenatal polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) exposure alters offspring immune function.
- Human data on developmental PCB exposure and immunologic development are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between developmental PCB exposure and specific antibody responses in infants.
- To assess the impact of maternal and early postnatal PCB exposure on infant immune development.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 384 mother-infant pairs in eastern Slovakia.
- Measured PCB congeners in maternal, cord, and infant sera using gas chromatography.
- Assayed infant antibody concentrations (Haemophilus influenzae type b, tetanus, diphtheria) at 6 months via ELISA.
Main Results:
- No significant association was observed between infant antibody concentrations and PCB levels during the pre- and early postnatal periods.
- Results showed no specificity regarding developmental timing, antibody type, or PCB congener.
Conclusions:
- Despite high PCB concentrations in the cohort, no association was detected between maternal or early postnatal PCB exposure and specific antibody responses at 6 months of age.
- Developmental PCB exposure did not appear to affect specific antibody responses in this human cohort at the measured levels.
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.
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