Geophagy during pregnancy: Is there a health risk for infants?

Prenatal lead exposure is a public health concern. Geophagy, the practice of soil eating, is documented for pregnant women of sub-Saharan Africa to treat pregnancy-related malaise. The soils however can contain substantial amounts of lead. In an exploratory study on 48 mother-child pairs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, we found striking site-specific differences in prenatal lead exposure, i.e., higher lead levels at Kisangani than at Isiro. Kisangani women consumed 1/ more often soil during the first trimester of pregnancy as well as 2/ a different type of soil compared to Isiro women (P<0.05). We conclude geophagy may be a potential source of prenatal lead exposure.

What about Ethnomedizin? Reflections on the early days of medical anthropologies in German-speaking countries.

This paper gives an overview of the historical and theoretical developments of Ethnomedizin in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It demonstrates the richness of this interdisciplinary field at the interface of anthropology, medicine and public health, and provides the unique perspectives of some of its founders from the 1970s onwards.

[Bats and other reservoir hosts of Filoviridae. Danger of epidemic on the African continent?--a deductive literature analysis]. / Fledertiere und andere Reservoirwirte der Filoviridae. Epidemiegefahr am afrikanischen Kontinent?--Eine deduktive Literaturanalyse.

Ebola and Marburg virus, forming the Filoviridae family, cause hemorrhagic fever in countries of sub-Saharan Africa. These viral diseases are characterized by a sudden epidemic occurrence as well as a high lethality. Even though a reservoir host has not been approved yet, literature indicates the order of bats (Chiroptera) as a potential reservoir host. Significant references lead to a delineation of a hypothetical ecosystem of Filoviridae including Chiroptera. IgG-specific Ebola-Zaire antibodies were detected in Hammer-headed Bats (Hypsignathus monstrosus), Epauletted Fruit Bats (Epomops franqueti), and Little Collared Fruit Bats (Myonycteris torquata) during Ebola outbreaks between 2001 and 2005 in Gabon and the Republic of the Congo. The discovery of IgG-specific-Marburg virus antibodies and virus-specific ribonucleic acid in Egyptian Fruit Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) provided further indication for the exploration of the reservoir host. In 2007, the Marburg virus isolation could for the first time be accomplished directly from apparently healthy and naturally infected Egyptian Fruit Bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) in Kitaka Mine (Uganda). Risk groups can be defined through chronological reprocessing and interpretation of existing epidemic-outbreaks on the African continent and the search for infection reasons of the index cases. The following risk factors for an infection with Ebola or Marburg virus must be put into consideration: Contact with and consumption of wild animal carcasses, sightseeing in caves as well as work in mines. The focus of this review is the demonstration of risk profiles and their exposure to Chiroptera and other potential reservoir hosts.

Geophagy and potential health implications: geohelminths, microbes and heavy metals.

The practice of geophagy (soil-eating) is widespread among pregnant and breast-feeding women in sub-Saharan Africa. To assess some of the potential risks accompanying the consumption of geophagic material, we analysed contamination with bacteria, fungi, and geohelminths as well as heavy metals (lead, mercury and cadmium) in 88 African geophagic soil samples, which were purchased in Central, West and East Africa, Europe and the United States. Median microbial viable counts of positive samples were 440 cfu/g (maximum 120,000 cfu/g). The median metal concentrations were 40 mg/kg lead (up to 148 mg/kg), 0.05 mg/kg mercury (up to 0.64 mg/kg), and 0.055 mg/kg cadmium (maximum 0.57 mg/kg). No geohelminth eggs were found in these samples. Our results suggest that geophagic soil samples can be highly contaminated with microbes and may contain high levels of lead. Geophagy, however, is not a cause of adult helminth infection. The periodic consumption of geophagic materials at high dosages might be problematic particularly during pregnancy.