Faculty News Weekly Round-Up: October 12, 2018

Children around the world are suffering from unnoticed infections that are stunting their growth and mental development, new research from an international coalition of scientists reveals.

Up to 30 percent of children in low-resource countries suffer from stunted growth. Inadequate nutrition and diarrhea have long been blamed, but scientists have, until now, been unable to explain a large percentage of stunting cases. Two new studies, however, show that a tremendous number of children with no signs of diarrhea are carrying harmful infections. These infections ultimately prevent them from reaching their full potential and perpetuate a vicious cycle of poverty.

“If we’re just targeting diarrhea, that may not be enough. We need to be addressing these asymptomatic exposures as well,” said researcher Elizabeth T. Rogawski McQuade, PhD, of the UVA School of Medicine. “If we could have interventions against just four pathogens, we would expect an improvement in growth that’s similar to what has been seen for nutritional interventions in similar settings. This puts pathogen exposure, in terms of importance, on the same level as nutrition, which in the past has been considered the main reason for poor growth.”

In addition to Rogawski McQuade, UVA researchers James A. Platts-Mills, MD, and Eric R. Houpt, MD, contributed to the studies, which have been published in The Lancet Global Health by The Lancet.

Read more: https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/…/unseen-infections-harming…/

• UVA House Call: Kevin King on Orthotics and Prosthetics Services at UVA

Kevin King discussed orthotics and prosthetics services at UVA and a new clinic at Pantops.

Watch the interview: http://www.nbc29.com/…/14653795/uva-house-call-dr-kevin-king
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