A very interesting article posted today on PLoS concerns the impact that poverty and malnutrition (or over-nutrition) has on immune response systems.
___________________
Malnutrition and Infection:
Complex Mechanisms and Global Impacts
Ulrich E. Schaible*, Stefan H. E. Kaufmann
Citation: Schaible UE, Kaufmann SHE (2007)
Malnutrition and infection: Complex mechanisms and
global impacts. PLoS Med 4(5): e115. doi:10.1371/
journal.pmed.0040115
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/archive/1549-1676/4/5/pdf/10.1371_journal.pmed.0040115-S.pdf
Activation and sustenance of
immune responses during
infection requires increased
energy consumption. Protein energy
malnutrition (PEM) is a critical, yet
underestimated factor in susceptibility
to infection, including the ?big
three? infectious diseases: HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis, and malaria. In this
article, we discuss current concepts and
controversies surrounding the complex
infl uences of malnutrition on infection
and immunity, and point to practical
consequences of countermeasures in
acute malnutrition. We call for new
strategies to overcome worldwide
morbidity and mortality caused by
chronic malnutrition in impoverished
countries and by the newly emerging
public health threat of overnutrition in
industrialized societies.
___________________
Malnutrition and Infection:
Complex Mechanisms and Global Impacts
Ulrich E. Schaible*, Stefan H. E. Kaufmann
Citation: Schaible UE, Kaufmann SHE (2007)
Malnutrition and infection: Complex mechanisms and
global impacts. PLoS Med 4(5): e115. doi:10.1371/
journal.pmed.0040115
http://medicine.plosjournals.org/archive/1549-1676/4/5/pdf/10.1371_journal.pmed.0040115-S.pdf
Activation and sustenance of
immune responses during
infection requires increased
energy consumption. Protein energy
malnutrition (PEM) is a critical, yet
underestimated factor in susceptibility
to infection, including the ?big
three? infectious diseases: HIV/AIDS,
tuberculosis, and malaria. In this
article, we discuss current concepts and
controversies surrounding the complex
infl uences of malnutrition on infection
and immunity, and point to practical
consequences of countermeasures in
acute malnutrition. We call for new
strategies to overcome worldwide
morbidity and mortality caused by
chronic malnutrition in impoverished
countries and by the newly emerging
public health threat of overnutrition in
industrialized societies.