Department of Infectious Disease Immunology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0456 Oslo, Norway.
K.G. Jebsen Centre for Influenza Vaccine Research, University of Oslo, 0316 Oslo, Norway.
Nutrients. 2019 Mar 7;11(3):575. doi: 10.3390/nu11030575.
Preschool children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are highly exposed to influenza viruses. Factors related to infections, nutrition, and environmental conditions that might explain the burden of influenza among these children were investigated. Ninety-five preschool children, 48 girls and 47 boys, were followed clinically for 12 months. Illness and immune responses to influenza; three other respiratory viruses; five airway pathogenic bacteria; and levels of vitamins D, A, and B12 were assessed. Most of the children had antibodies to numerous respiratory viral and bacterial agents at study start, and many were infected during follow-up. Twenty-five girls and 25 boys fell ill during the study, and were treated with one or more courses of systemic antimicrobials. Ninety percent of both girls and boys had 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels below the recommended levels. While there was no overall difference in the levels of vitamins D, A, and B12 between girls and boys, treated girls had significantly lower 25(OH)D levels than non-treated girls and treated boys. There was a considerable number of short for age children, but only the short treated girls had significantly lower 25(OH)D levels than the non-treated children. Preschool girls with low 25(OH)D levels were more vulnerable to pathogenic microbes than boys.
埃塞俄比亚亚的斯亚贝巴的学龄前儿童高度暴露于流感病毒中。本研究旨在调查可能解释这些儿童中流感负担的感染、营养和环境条件相关因素。95 名学龄前儿童，48 名女孩和 47 名男孩，进行了为期 12 个月的临床随访。评估了流感和其他三种呼吸道病毒、五种呼吸道病原性细菌以及维生素 D、A 和 B12 的水平。在研究开始时，大多数儿童对多种呼吸道病毒和细菌病原体具有抗体，并且在随访期间许多儿童受到感染。25 名女孩和 25 名男孩在研究期间患病，并接受了一个或多个疗程的全身抗生素治疗。90%的女孩和男孩的 25-羟维生素 D [25(OH)D]水平低于推荐水平。虽然女孩和男孩之间维生素 D、A 和 B12 的水平没有总体差异，但接受治疗的女孩的 25(OH)D 水平明显低于未接受治疗的女孩和接受治疗的男孩。有相当数量的儿童身材矮小，但只有接受治疗的矮小女孩的 25(OH)D 水平明显低于未接受治疗的儿童。25(OH)D 水平低的学龄前女孩比男孩更容易受到病原微生物的侵害。
