Total blood mercury and serum measles antibodies in US children, NHANES 2003-2004

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Total blood mercury and serum measles antibodies in US children, NHANES

2003-2004. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21992842>

Gallagher CM, DM, Meliker JR.

Sci Total Environ. 2011 Dec 1;410-411:65-71. Epub 2011 Oct 10.

Background: Environmental toxins, pathogens and host susceptibility

cofactors may interact to contribute to

disease. In vitro mercury exposure inhibited antiviral cytokines in

human cells; however, little is known

about the relationship between mercury and viruses in children. Children

are susceptible to mercury toxicity;

lower vitamin B-12 and folate levels and higher homocysteine levels may

represent susceptibility cofactors.

This study aimed to evaluate associations between total bloodmercury

(Hg) and measles antibodies in children,

and the influence of these susceptibility cofactors.

Design: Cross-sectional data on serum measles antibodies, Hg,

homocysteine, methylmalonic acid (MMA,

indicator of B-12 deficiency), and folate were obtained from the

2003--2004 NHANES for children aged

6--11 years with measles seropositivity (n=692). We used linear

regression to evaluate relationships

between measles antibodies and Hg, stratified by sex, MMA ?, folate b,

and homocysteine?sample medians,

adjusted for demographic, nutritional and environmental cofactors.

Results: Hg (range: 0.10--19.10 ?g/L) was inversely associatedwith

measles antibodies (range: 1.00--28.24 units)

in non-stratified analysis (n=692), yet positively associated among the

subset of boys with higher MMA and

lower folate (n=98). Among this subset with higher homocysteine levels

(n=61), correlations were positive

across all Hg quartiles relative to Q1 (Hg?0.20 ?g/L): Q2:?=6.60 (3.02,

10.19); Q3:?=8.49 (6.17, 10.81);

Q4 (HgN0.80 ?g/L):?=4.90 (2.12, 7.67) (ptrend=0.077).

Conclusion: Stratification by susceptibility cofactors revealed opposing

directionality for correlations between

Hg and measles antibodies, with positive effect estimates at lowest

exposures only among boys with higher

MMA, lower folate and higher homocysteine levels.

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