In developing countries, food stored in piles of sacks in warehouses is often contaminated with fungi that give off toxic substances
A type of fungus coating much of the stored corn, wheat, rice and nuts in developing countries may be quietly worsening the AIDS epidemic, according to a paper published today in the World Mycotoxin Journal.
Kept in sacks piled in barns and warehouses, food stores in countries near the equator are contaminated by Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus, fungi that produce a toxic substance called aflatoxin. About 4.5 billion people worldwide are exposed to aflatoxin at unsafe levels, and chronic exposure has been linked to liver damage and related cancers; but its role in the spread of infectious disease could make it even more deadly.
“Our work suggests study that aflatoxin exposure may be taking an even greater toll in areas where millions are infected with HIV, including Africa and Asia, the latter with a fast-growing HIV population and rice storage areas contaminated by fungi,” said Pauline, Jolly, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Epidemiology within the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Strict regulation and monitoring minimize exposure in the United States.
Jolly and her colleagues recruited 314 HIV-positive people who were not yet on antiretroviral therapy for the study in Kumasi, Ghana. They divided patients into four groups based on their level of aflatoxin exposure and found that those in the highest exposure group were 2.6 times more likely to have a high HIV viral load than those in the lowest exposure group. Higher viral load translates into higher rates of HIV transmission and the potential for earlier progression to the opportunistic infections of AIDS.
“Previous studies by our team had looked at the possible interaction of aflatoxin and HIV on immune suppression, and this study examined twice as many patients as previous studies,” said Jolly, the study’s corresponding author. “It also was structured to eliminate factors such as opportunistic infections and antiviral combination therapy in clarifying the relationship between aflatoxin exposure and HIV for the first time.”
Leading theories suggest that the fungal toxin may suppress the immune system by reducing the production of certain immune cells or the proteins that activate them. The toxin also may increase the expression of genes that result in more copies of the virus, but more study is needed to confirm the mechanisms.
The Latest Bing News on:
Aflatoxin
- Es drohen Leber- und Nierenschäden: Bundesweiter Schokoladen-Rückruf bei Rewe, Edeka und Co.on May 12, 2022 at 4:08 am
Juni 2023 zurück. Wie das Unternehmen in einer Pressemitteilung auf seiner Webseite mitteilt, weist der Artikel möglicherweise einen hohen Gehalt an Aflatoxin B1 und Gesamt-Aflatoxin B1+B2+G1+G2 auf.
- Cabinet approves aflatoxin policy to deal with contamination in food value chainon May 12, 2022 at 1:16 am
Ghana’s cabinet has approved a policy framework for the management and control of aflatoxin in the food value chain, Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, ...
- Schokoladen-Rückruf bei Rewe und Edeka: Produkte können krebserzeugende Pilzgifte enthaltenon May 12, 2022 at 12:30 am
Kunden von Edeka, Rewe und Globus werden aktuell über einen Schokoladen-Rückruf informiert. Wegen einer möglichen Kontamination mit dem Pilzgift Aflatoxin 1 wird vom Verzehr der "Vollmilchschokolade ...
- Wieder Schokolade im Rückruf: Experten warnen vor Nieren- und Leberschädenon May 11, 2022 at 7:46 pm
Aktuell ist eine Schokoladen-Sorte von einem dringenden Rückruf betroffen. Der Verzehr kann zu Nieren- oder Leberschäden führen. Kassel - Nachdem erst kürzlich Schokoladen-Produkte von Ferrero zurückg ...
- Kenya: Govt Installs Aflatoxin Laboratory in Nakuruon May 10, 2022 at 11:13 pm
Nakuru — The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has installed an aflatoxin testing laboratory and urged grain growers to make use of it to ascertain the safety of the foods they consume.
- Explainer: What is aflatoxin?on May 5, 2022 at 4:05 am
On Wednesday, a consumer alert was issued on some unsafe Indomie instant noodle flavours banned in Egypt as they contain aflatoxin and pesticide residues. The Common Market for Eastern and ...
- Cabinet approves policy on aflatoxinon May 5, 2022 at 12:52 am
The Cabinet has approved a policy on aflatoxin control in food and feeds to help protect human and animal health and also increase the incomes of food value chain actors in the country.
- Will climate change increase the risk of aflatoxin in US corn?on May 4, 2022 at 1:03 pm
The fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus produce aflatoxin, which can infect peanuts, tree nuts and corn. Aflatoxin not only degrades corn quality but can also cause health ...
- Diminishing the threat of mycotoxins in pet foodon April 28, 2022 at 7:20 am
Increased awareness of potential problems in pet foods has spurred action to curb potential new outbreaks and costly recalls.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Aflatoxin
The Latest Bing News on:
Aflatoxin exposure
- Aflatoxin, Tobacco, Ammonia and the p53 Tumor-Suppressor Gene: Cancer's Missing Link?on May 8, 2022 at 5:00 pm
often show the same p53 mutations associated with aflatoxin exposure. The role of ammonia in neutralizing aflatoxin contamination is examined, as well as the potential role of the FDA in ...
- Reactions to readers’ concerns on safety of peanutson May 7, 2022 at 4:38 pm
Mangoes are in season. Have you had some? Do you still remember I told you all that I do not like drinking water?
- Researchers Suggest Solutions for Crops Against Aflatoxinon May 5, 2022 at 9:01 am
Researchers at Michigan State University are predicting the impact of climate change on crops such as maize as weather patterns throughout the world, especially the Midwest, continue to shift.
- Explainer: What is aflatoxin?on May 5, 2022 at 3:38 am
Children are particularly affected by aflatoxin exposure, which is associated with stunted growth, delayed development, liver damage, and liver cancer notes wikipedia.org. Adults, however ...
- Bogdan Fedeles and Supawadee Chawanthayatham, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (IMAGE)on April 29, 2022 at 8:06 pm
Research scientist Bogdan Fedeles and postdoc Supawadee Chawanthayatham have discovered a mutational signature that reveals liver cell exposure to aflatoxin, a potent carcinogen. Images are made ...
- Prevention of Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Nonviral-related Liver Diseaseson April 28, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Community-based programs to discourage and deal with excessive alcohol intake, tobacco smoking, prevent exposure to aflatoxin and other toxins, as well as measures aimed at reducing the pandemic ...
- Diminishing the threat of mycotoxins in pet foodon April 28, 2022 at 7:20 am
Increased awareness of potential problems in pet foods has spurred action to curb potential new outbreaks and costly recalls.
- Trial to Establish Causal Linkage Between Mycotoxin Exposure and Child Stuntingon April 25, 2022 at 5:00 pm
Currently, aflatoxin is the most studied mycotoxin, due to the intermittent outbreaks of high aflatoxin exposure that leads to acute aflatoxicosis. Despite this, there is still little research into ...
- 10 Tools For Fighting Aflatoxin, Which Causes Liver Cancer And Childhood Stuntingon March 22, 2019 at 3:26 am
2) Consumer awareness. As aflatoxin exposure is a largely chronic and gradually accumulating problem, it’s less visible among the general public than it should be. PACA program manager Ayalew ...
