Lecture 11+12 Nutrition and infection

Question 1

Vitamin A deficiency

Answer 1

Major cause of illness and death associated with major infectious diseases, notably diarrhoea and measles

Vitamin A supplementation reduces morbidity and mortality in children (prevention and treatment)

Question 2

Vitamin A supplementation

Answer 2

Reduces mortality with 12% and diarrhoea mortality by 15%

Question 3

Ebola

Answer 3

Vitamin A supplementation is primary part of supportive care and decreases the risk

Question 4

Selenium

Answer 4

Key components of antioxidant enzyme: protects against oxidative damage (ROS)

Question 5

Selenium deficiency

Answer 5

Viruses can increase ROS production that favours virus replication, mutation and escape

Benign viral strains can mutate to highly pathogenic strains

Selenium deficiency and coxsackie B3 virus causes of myocarditis

Question 6

Keshan disease

Answer 6

Selenium supplementation to prevent and treat

Question 7

Iron

Answer 7

Iron is necessary for chemical reactions and oxygen transport that are critical for life, but potentially dangerous because of the generation of ROS

Pathogens depend on iron from their host

WHO: children in settings with high prevalence of malaria and other infectious disease should not receive universal iron supplementation (and folic acid; Pemba study)

Question 8

Iron deprivation

Answer 8

Pathogens have developed mechanism to acquire host iron, and human hosts to develop mechanisms to deny them iron, or to use iron to fight pathogens through generation of ROS

Nutritional withholding hypothesis: control pathogens by starving them of iron –> proective against malaria

Question 9

What is the main cause of death and disability in countries with low SDI (developing countries)?

Answer 9

Infection and malnutrition (especially in poor rural families)