Occupational Exposures to Campylobacter jejuni and Biomarkers for Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) in Poultry and Swine Farmers (2008)
Leora Vegosen, MHS, Doctoral student, Environmental Health Sciences, JHSPH
This study seeks to expand understanding of the health risks associated with industrial food animal production, particularly its relationship to autoimmune peripheral neuropathy. According to the research proposal, Campylobacter infection is the most commonly determined antecedent for Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune disease that is the leading cause of acute flaccid paralysis in the US and in the world. While the food safety risks have been well characterized, the risks to farm workers and rural communities have not been sufficiently studied. The project addresses this gap by assessing associations between occupational exposure to poultry or swine, anti-Campylobacter jejuni antibodies, anti-ganglioside autoantibodies, and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in farmers. Anti-Campylobacter jejuni antibodies are a biomarker of exposure to Campylobacter jejuni bacteria and anti-ganglioside autoantibodies are biomarkers of autoimmune activity targeting components of peripheral nerves. The analysis of these biomarkers in conjunction with questionnaire data will provide important information on agricultural exposures and health outcomes. Investigators for this study from the Department of Environmental Health Sciences also include Patrick Breysse, Ph.D., MHS, Ellen Silbergeld, Ph.D. and Meghan Davis, DVM, MPH, Ph.D. student. The research will contribute to the evidence-base on the public health impacts of modern agriculture practices, namely concentrated animal feeding operations, which produce more than 90 percent of poultry and pork products consumed nationally. 
Results Research in progress
See Other Related Projects The Geography of Occupational Injury and Illness in the Meat Products Industries: Economic, Demographic, Social, and Political Risk Factors
Roni Neff, ScM, Doctoral Candidate, Department of Health Policy and Management Antibiotic Resistance And Population Diversity of Campylobacter Jejuni on Chicken Grown With and Without Antibiotics as Growth Promoters
Ellen K. Silbergeld, PhD, Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Lance B. Price, MS, Doctoral Student, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
|
