Dr Michael N Routledge: mnr9@le.ac.uk
Associate Professor of Toxicology, School of Medicine, University of Leicester, UK
Lecture for Students and Teachers
Presentation title: Aflatoxin exposure and childhood mortality in the CHAIN study
Time: Nov. 6, 2023, 10:30am
Place: The No.3 lecture hall on the third floor of the conference center.
Abstract: The Childhood Acute Illness and Nutrition (CHAIN) study is a multinational consortium investigating factors contributing to death in severely malnourished acutely ill children who have been admitted to hospital in nine sites in Africa and South Asia. Despite hospital treatment there is a high risk of death within 180 days of discharge in such children, and predicting which children are most at risk post discharge has been difficult. In CHAIN a number of potential biological and social factors have been investigated. Our role in the project was to examine whether there was an association between levels of exposure to aflatoxin and risk of death. Aflatoxin is a common contaminant of staple foods in warm humid climates and we have previously shown associations with impaired child growth and possible links to reduced immune function. A sub-cohort of 1278 children (350 deceased, 658 surving controls and 270 community controls) were investigated for levels of aflatoxin exposure using a biomarker of exposure, aflatoxin albumin, measured by an established ELISA. We found an increased death rate amongst the highest versus lowest quartiles of aflatoxin exposure, especially in Uganda, where biomarker levels were highest. These data suggest aflatoxin may contribute to child mortality amongst acutely ill children.
Research profile: His research interests are in environmental toxicology, in particular, in two areas; health effects associated with mycotoxin exposure and the toxicity of urban particulate matter. Recent research has focused on using biomarkers to measure mycotoxin exposure and assessing health risks associated with this exposure, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this my research focused on particle toxicity, including urban particulate matter and engineered nanoparticles. One area of particular interest was the impact of urban particulate matter from air pollution on cardiovascular health. I have been PI/Co-I on grants worth over £4 million (including from EU, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, EPSRC and YCR), published over 100 papers (Scopus H-index 30), presented at many international conferences and invited seminars, and supervised eight PhD students to completion. I have been involved in international research with colleagues in China, Japan, France, USA, Pakistan, Gambia and Tanzania. His research on aflatoxin exposure and health effects has contributed to a Research Excellence Framework (REF) impact case on this topic. Based on his research expertise, He have been appointed to contribute to several international panels (International Atomic Energy Agency, East Africa Community, Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa, European Food Standards Authority working group) and the UK Food Standards Agency Committee on Toxicity.
（School of Food and Biological Engineering）
