Impeded Immunity? Reduced Tuberculosis Vaccine Response with Exposure to Environmental Chemicals

Lindsey Konkel is a New Jersey–based journalist who reports on science, health, and the environment. About This Article open Citation: Konkel L. 2016. Impeded immunity? Reduced tuberculosis vaccine response with exposure to environmental chemicals. Environ Health Perspect 124:A114; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.124-A114 Published: 1 June 2016 PDF Version (259 KB) Related EHP Article A Birth Cohort Study of Maternal and Infant Serum PCB-153 and DDE Concentrations and Responses to Infant Tuberculosis Vaccination Todd A. Jusko, Anneclaire J. De Roos, Sue Y. Lee, Kelly Thevenet-Morrison, Stephen M. Schwartz, Marc-André Verner, Lubica Palkovicova Murinova, Beata Drobná, Anton Kočan, Anna Fabišiková, Kamil Čonka, Tomas Trnovec, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, and B. Paige Lawrence There is some evidence that early-life exposures to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other persistent environmental chemicals can alter the developing immune system and may be associated with diminished effectiveness for certain vaccines.1,2 This could have serious implications for parts of the world where diseases that are preventable with vaccines remain a major public health threat.3 In this issue of EHP, researchers present new evidence that two persistent organic pollutants are associated with a lower antibody response to the tuberculosis vaccine, which could potentially lower resistance to infection.4 “Our findings show that environmental chemicals may be playing a role in immune disrupt...
Source: EHP Research - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Featured News Science Selection June 2016 Source Type: research