Linking pollution and infectious disease

Abstract

Environmental pollutants can interact with pathogens to change how people and wildlife respond to infectious diseases. Decades ago, researchers showed that persistent organic pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins, make mice less resistant to an influenza virus. New research suggests that other contaminants— including fluorochemicals, arsenic, and mercury—can also interfere with the immune response in laboratory animals, as well as in people. In some cases, pollutants decrease the immune response to vaccines, making people more susceptible to infectious diseases. In other cases, environmental pollutants increase the virulence of pathogens, such as making certain bacteria more resistant to antibiotics. Researchers are calling for more interdisciplinary work at the intersection between environmental health and infectious disease to help unravel some of the mechanisms behind these interactions. Such work is needed to fully understand how chemicals in the environment affect public health.