Nutrient intakes from complementary foods are associated with cardiometabolic biomarkers among undernourished Peruvian children

Relatively little is known about how the diet of chronically undernourished children may impact cardiometabolic biomarkers. The objective of this exploratory study was to characterise relationships between dietary patterns and the cardiometabolic profile of 153 3-5-year-old Peruvian children with a high prevalence of chronic undernutrition. We collected monthly dietary recalls from children when they were 9-24 months old. At 3-5 years, additional dietary recalls were collected, and blood pressure, height, weight, subscapular skinfolds and fasting plasma glucose, insulin and lipid profiles were assessed. Nutrient intakes were expressed as average density per 100 kcals (i) from 9 to 24 months and (ii) at follow-up. The treelet transform and sparse reduced rank regress'ion (RRR) were used to summarize nutrient intake data. Linear regression models were then used to compare these factors to cardiometabolic outcomes and anthropometry. Linear regression models adjusting for subscapular skinfold-for-age Z-scores (SSFZ) were then used to test whether observed relationships were mediated by body composition. 26 % of children were stunted at 3-5 years old. Both treelet transform and sparse RRR-derived child dietary factors are related to protein intake and associated with total cholesterol and SSFZ. Associations between dietary factors and insulin were attenuated after adjusting for SSFZ, suggesting that body composition mediated these relationships. Dietary factors in early childhood, influenced by protein intake, are associated with cholesterol profiles, fasting glucose and body fat in a chronically undernourished population.

Genomic Characterization of Campylobacter jejuni Adapted to the Guinea Pig (Cavia porcellus) Host

Campylobacter jejuni is the leading bacterial cause of gastroenteritis worldwide with excessive incidence in low-and middle-income countries (LMIC). During a survey for C. jejuni from putative animal hosts in a town in the Peruvian Amazon, we were able to isolate and whole genome sequence two C. jejuni strains from domesticated guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus). The C. jejuni isolated from guinea pigs had a novel multilocus sequence type that shared some alleles with other C. jejuni collected from guinea pigs. Average nucleotide identity and phylogenetic analysis with a collection of C. jejuni subsp. jejuni and C. jejuni subsp. doylei suggest that the guinea pig isolates are distinct. Genomic comparisons demonstrated gene gain and loss that could be associated with guinea pig host specialization related to guinea pig diet, anatomy, and physiology including the deletion of genes involved with selenium metabolism, including genes encoding the selenocysteine insertion machinery and selenocysteine-containing proteins.

Evolution of the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Scar and Its Association with Birth and Pregnancy Characteristics in a Prospective Cohort of Infants in Iquitos, Peru

BACKGROUND

Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) scar formation is considered a visual marker of vaccination and cell-mediated immune response. This study characterized the association between pregnancy and birth characteristics with BCG scar formation.

STUDY DESIGN

Pregnant women were enrolled prospectively. Infants were followed up for the first 6 months of life, and the diameter of the BCG scar was recorded. Marginal models were fitted to assess the association of BCG scar diameter with pregnancy and birth characteristics using linear regressions with generalized estimating equations.

RESULTS

A total of 307 infants were enrolled, of whom 19.2% (59/307) were of low birth weight. Among those with known gestational age, 7.1% were preterm births (21/295). Overall, 98.7% (303/307) of infants developed a BCG scar. BCG scar trends in a tropical environment, such as the Amazon, differ from the trends evidenced in the capital of Peru. For every additional week of gestational age, the mean scar diameter increased by 0.1 mm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02, 0.24; p = 0.017). Maternal illness during pregnancy impacted BCG scar size, as the infants of mothers who self-report fever had a smaller scar diameter (1 mm, 95% CI: 0.5, 1.8 mm; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The immune reaction to the BCG vaccination is affected by gestational age at birth and systemic inflammatory episodes during pregnancy.