Ellwanger Joel Henrique, Ziliotto Marina, Chies José Artur Bogo
Laboratory of Immunobiology and Immunogenetics, Postgraduate Program in Genetics and Molecular Biology (PPGBM), Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre 91501-970, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
J Xenobiot. 2025 Jul 3;15(4):105. doi: 10.3390/jox15040105.
Climate change, mining activities, pollution and other human impacts on the natural environment cause significant changes in the concentrations and mixtures of metallic elements found in different ecosystems. Metals such as cadmium, copper, lead and mercury affect multiple aspects of host-pathogen interactions, influencing the risk of infectious diseases caused by various classes of pathogens. Notably, exposure to metals in doses and combinations toxic to the immune system can favor the dissemination of pathogens in natural environments, threatening the reproduction, well-being and survival of varied animal species. However, these problems remain neglected, since the influences of metals on infectious diseases are studied with a primary focus on human medicine. Therefore, this article aims to review the influence of metals/metalloids (e.g., arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, iron, lead, mercury, nickel, zinc) on infectious and parasitic diseases in animals living in natural environments. The potential impact of metals on the risk of zoonotic spillover events is also discussed. Metal pollution tends to increase as the demand for elements used in the manufacture of industrial products, batteries, and electronic devices increases globally. This problem can aggravate the biodiversity crisis and facilitate the emergence of infectious diseases. Considering the interconnections between pollution and immunity, measures to limit metal pollution are necessary to protect human health and biodiversity from the risks posed by pathogens. This review helps fill the gap in the literature regarding the connections between metal pollution and various aspects of infectious diseases.
气候变化、采矿活动、污染以及其他人类对自然环境的影响，导致不同生态系统中金属元素的浓度和混合情况发生显著变化。镉、铜、铅和汞等金属会影响宿主与病原体相互作用的多个方面，影响由各类病原体引起的传染病风险。值得注意的是，接触对免疫系统有毒的剂量和组合的金属，可能有利于病原体在自然环境中的传播，威胁各种动物物种的繁殖、健康和生存。然而，这些问题仍然被忽视，因为金属对传染病的影响主要是在人类医学领域进行研究的。因此，本文旨在综述金属/类金属（如砷、镉、铬、铜、铁、铅、汞、镍、锌）对生活在自然环境中的动物的传染病和寄生虫病的影响。还讨论了金属对人畜共患病溢出事件风险的潜在影响。随着全球对工业产品、电池和电子设备制造中使用的元素的需求增加，金属污染往往也会加剧。这个问题会加剧生物多样性危机，并促使传染病的出现。考虑到污染与免疫之间的相互联系，限制金属污染的措施对于保护人类健康和生物多样性免受病原体带来的风险是必要的。这篇综述有助于填补文献中关于金属污染与传染病各个方面之间联系的空白。
