MENTION CHAPTER 26. Infection, vaccines and other environmental triggers of autoimmunity.Autoimmunity. 2005 May;38(3):235-45.
Molina V, Shoenfeld Y., Department of Medicine B and The Center for
Autoimmune Diseases, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, Israel.
Abstract
The etiology of autoimmune diseases is still not clear but genetic, immunological,
hormonal and environmental factors are considered to be important triggers.
Most often autoimmunity is not followed by clinical symptoms unless an
additional event such as an environmental factor favors an overt expression.
Many environmental factors are known to affect the immune system and may
play a role as triggers of the autoimmune mosaic.Infections: bacterial, viral and
parasitic infections are known to induce and exacerbate autoimmune diseases,
mainly by the mechanism of molecular mimicry. This was studied for some
syndromes as for the association between SLE and EBV infection, pediatric
autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infection
and more. Vaccines, in several reports were found to be temporally followed by a
new onset of autoimmune diseases. The same mechanisms that act in infectious
invasion of the host, apply equally to the host response to vaccination. It has
been accepted for diphtheria and tetanus toxoid, polio and measles vaccines and
GBS.
Also this theory has been accepted for MMR vaccination and development
of autoimmune thrombocytopenia, MS has been associated with HBV
vaccination. Occupational and other chemical exposures are considered as
triggers for autoimmunity. A debate still exists about the role of silicone implants
in induction of scleroderma like disease.Not only foreign chemicals and agents
have been associated with induction of autoimmunity, but also an intrinsic
hormonal exposure, such as estrogens. This might explain the sexual
dimorphism in autoimmunity.Better understanding of these environmental risk
factors will likely lead to explanation of the mechanisms of onset and progression
of autoimmune diseases and may lead to effective preventive involvement in
specific high-risk groups. So by diagnosing a new patient with autoimmune
disease a wide anamnesis work should be done.
7. Impact of environmental factors on the prevalence of autistic disorder after 1979Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology, Vol.6(9), pp. 271-284, September
2014
Theresa A. Deisher, Ngoc V. Doan, Angelica Omaiye, Kumiko Koyama, Sarah
Bwabye
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate a previously overlooked, universally
introduced environmental factor, fetal and retroviral contaminants in childhood
vaccines, absent prior to change points (CPs) in autistic disorder (AD)
prevalence with subsequent dose-effect evidence and known pathologic
mechanisms of action. Worldwide population based cohort study was used for
the design of this study. The United States, Western Australia, United Kingdom
and Denmark settings were used. All live born infants who later developed
autistic disorder delivered after 1 January 1970, whose redacted vaccination and
autistic disorder diagnosis information is publicly available in databases
maintained by the US Federal Government, Western Australia, UK, and
Denmark. The live births, grouped by father’s age, were from the US and
Australia. The children vaccinated with MMRII, Varicella and Hepatitis A vaccines
varied from 19 to 35 months of age at the time of vaccination. Autistic disorder
birth year change points were identified as 1980.9, 1988.4 and 1996 for the US,
1987 for UK, 1990.4 for Western Australia, and 1987.5 for Denmark. Change
points in these countries corresponded to introduction of or increased doses of
human fetal cell line-manufactured vaccines, while no relationship was found
between paternal age or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) revisions and
autistic disorder diagnosis. Further, linear regression revealed that Varicella and
Hepatitis A immunization coverage was significantly correlated to autistic disorder
cases. R software was used to calculate change points. Autistic disorder
change points years are coincident with introduction of vaccines
manufactured using human fetal cell lines, containing fetal and retroviral
contaminants, into childhood vaccine regimens. This pattern was repeated
in the US, UK, Western Australia and Denmark.
Thus, rising autistic
disorder prevalence is directly related to vaccines manufactured utilizing
human fetal cells. Increased paternal age and DSM revisions were not
related to rising autistic disorder prevalence.
8. A Positive Association found between Autism Prevalence and Childhood
Vaccination uptake across the U.S. PopulationJournal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A: Current Issues
Volume 74, Issue 14, 2011, Pages 903 - 916
Author: Gayle DeLonga
Abstract
The reason for the rapid rise of autism in the United States that began in the
1990s is a mystery. Although individuals probably have a genetic predisposition
to develop autism, researchers suspect that one or more environmental triggers
are also needed. One of those triggers might be the battery of vaccinations that
young children receive. Using regression analysis and controlling for family
income and ethnicity, the relationship between the proportion of children who
received the recommended vaccines by age 2 years and the prevalence of
autism (AUT) or speech or language impairment (SLI) in each U.S. state from
2001 and 2007 was determined. A positive and statistically significant relationship
was found: The higher the proportion of children receiving recommended
vaccinations, the higher was the prevalence of AUT or SLI. A 1% increase in
vaccination was associated with an additional 680 children having AUT or SLI.
Neither parental behavior nor access to care affected the results, since
vaccination proportions were not significantly related (statistically) to any other
disability or to the number of pediatricians in a U.S. state. The results suggest
that although mercury has been removed from many vaccines, other
culprits may link vaccines to autism. Further study into the relationship
between vaccines and autism is warranted. To read the abstract click HERE.
9. Neonatal administration of a vaccine preservative, thimerosal, produces lasting
impairment of nociception and apparent activation of opioid system in rats.Brain Res. 2009 Dec 8;1301:143-51. Epub 2009 Sep 9.
Olczak M, Duszczyk M, Mierzejewski P, Majewska MD. Department of
Pharmacology and Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute of Psychiatry and
Neurology, Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract
Thimerosal (THIM), an organomercury preservative added to many child
vaccines is a suspected factor in pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental disorders.
We examined the pharmacokinetics of Hg in the brain, liver and kidneys after i.m.
THIM injection in suckling rats and we tested THIM effect on nociception. THIM
solutions were injected to Wistar and Lewis rats in a vaccination-like mode on PN
days 7, 9, 11 and 15 in four equal doses. For Wistar rats these were: 12, 48, 240,
720, 1440, 2160, 3000 microg Hg/kg and for Lewis: 54, 216, 540 and 1080
microg Hg/kg. Pharmacokinetic analysis revealed that Hg from THIM injections
accumulates in the rat brain in significant amounts and remains there longer than
30 days after the injection. At the 6th week of age animals were examined for
pain sensitivity using the hot plate test. THIM treated rats of both strains and
sexes manifested statistically significantly elevated pain threshold (latency for
paw licking, jumping) on a hot plate (56 degrees C). Wistar rats were more
sensitive to this effect than Lewis rats. Protracted THIM-induced hypoalgesia was
reversed by naloxone (5 mg/kg, i.p.) injected before the hot plate test, indicative
of involvement of endogenous opioids. This was confirmed by augmented
catalepsy after morphine (2.5 mg/kg, s.c.) injection. Acute THIM injection to 6-
week-old rats also produced hypoalgesia, but this effect was transient and was
gone within 14 days. Present findings show that THIM administration to
suckling or adult rats impairs sensitivity to pain, apparently due to
activation the endogenous opioid system.
10. Transcriptomic analyses of neurotoxic effects in mouse brain after intermittent
neonatal administration of thimerosal.Toxicol Sci. 2014 Jun;139(2):452-65. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfu049. Epub 2014 Mar
27.
State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, Institute of
Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.Li X1, Qu F, Xie
W, Wang F, Liu H, Song S, Chen T, Zhang Y, Zhu S, Wang Y, Guo C, Tang TS.
Abstract
Thimerosal is a vaccine antimicrobial preservative which has long been
suspected an iatrogenic factor possibly contributing to neurodevelopmental
disorders including autism. The association between infant vaccine thimerosal
exposure and autism remains an open question. Although thimerosal has been
removed from mandatory childhood vaccines in the United States, thimerosalpreserved vaccines are still widely used outside of the United States especially in
developing countries. Notably, thimerosal-containing vaccines are being given to
the newborns within the first 12-24 h after birth in some countries. To examine the
possible neurotoxic effects of early neonatal exposure to a higher level of
thimerosal, FVB mice were subcutaneously injected with thimerosal-mercury at a
dose which is 20× higher than that used for regular Chinese infant immunization
during the first 4 months of life. Thimerosal-treated mice exhibited neural
development delay, social interaction deficiency, and inclination of depression.
Apparent neuropathological changes were also observed in adult mice neonatally
treated with thimerosal. High-throughput RNA sequencing of autistic-behaved
mice brains revealed the alternation of a number of canonical pathways involving
neuronal development, neuronal synaptic function, and the dysregulation of
endocrine system. Intriguingly, the elevation of anterior pituitary secreting
hormones occurred exclusively in male but not in female thimerosal-treated mice,
demonstrating for the first time the gender bias of thimerosal-mercury toxicity with
regard to endocrine system. Our results indicate that higher dose of neonatal
thimerosal-mercury (20× higher than that used in human) is capable of
inducing long-lasting substantial dysregulation of neurodevelopment,
synaptic function, and endocrine system, which could be the causal
involvements of autistic-like behavior in mice.
11. Lasting neuropathological changes in rat brain after intermittent neonatal
administration of thimerosal.Folia Neuropathol. 2010;48(4):258-69. Olczak M, Duszczyk M, Mierzejewski P,
Wierzba-Bobrowicz T, Majewska MD.
Department of Pharmacology and Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute of
Psychiatry and Neurology, ul. Sobieskiego 9, Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract
Thimerosal, an organomercurial added as a preservative to some vaccines, is a
suspected iatrogenic factor, possibly contributing to paediatric
neurodevelopmental disorders including autism. We examined the effects of early
postnatal administration of thimerosal (four i.m. injections, 12 or 240 μg THIMHg/kg, on postnatal days 7, 9, 11 and 15) on brain pathology in Wistar rats.
Numerous neuropathological changes were observed in young adult rats which
were treated postnatally with thimerosal. They included: ischaemic degeneration
of neurons and "dark" neurons in the prefrontal and temporal cortex, the
hippocampus and the cerebellum, pathological changes of the blood vessels in
the temporal cortex, diminished synaptophysin reaction in the hippocampus,
atrophy of astroglia in the hippocampus and cerebellum, and positive caspase-3
reaction in Bergmann astroglia. These findings document neurotoxic effects
of thimerosal, at doses equivalent to those used in infant vaccines or
higher, in developing rat brain, suggesting likely involvement of this
mercurial in neurodevelopmental disorders.
12. Persistent behavioral impairments and alterations of brain dopamine system after
early postnatal administration of thimerosal in rats.Behav Brain Res. 2011 Sep 30;223(1):107-18. doi: 10.1016/j.bbr.2011.04.026.
Epub 2011 Apr 28.
Olczak M, Duszczyk M, Mierzejewski P, Meyza K, Majewska MD. Department of
Pharmacology and Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute of Psychiatry and
Neurology, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract
The neurotoxic organomercurial thimerosal (THIM), used for decades as vaccine
preservative, is a suspected factor in the pathogenesis of some
neurodevelopmental disorders. Previously we showed that neonatal
administration of THIM at doses equivalent to those used in infant vaccines or
higher, causes lasting alterations in the brain opioid system in rats. Here we
investigated neonatal treatment with THIM (at doses 12, 240, 1440 and 3000 μg
Hg/kg) on behaviors, which are characteristically altered in autism, such as
locomotor activity, anxiety, social interactions, spatial learning, and on the brain
dopaminergic system in Wistar rats of both sexes. Adult male and female rats,
which were exposed to the entire range of THIM doses during the early postnatal
life, manifested impairments of locomotor activity and increased
anxiety/neophobia in the open field test. In animals of both sexes treated with the
highest THIM dose, the frequency of prosocial interactions was reduced, while
the frequency of asocial/antisocial interactions was increased in males, but
decreased in females. Neonatal THIM treatment did not significantly affect spatial
learning and memory. THIM-exposed rats also manifested reduced haloperidolinduced catalepsy, accompanied by a marked decline in the density of striatal D₂
receptors, measured by immunohistochemical staining, suggesting alterations to
the brain dopaminergic system. Males were more sensitive than females to some
neurodisruptive/neurotoxic actions of THIM. These data document that early
postnatal THIM administration causes lasting neurobehavioral impairments
and neurochemical alterations in the brain, dependent on dose and sex. If
similar changes occur in THIM/mercurial-exposed children, they could
contribute do neurodevelopmental disorders.
SOURCE:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21549155/MENTION