Prenatal Mercury Exposure and Postnatal Outcome: A Case Series in Bogotá, Colombia

We report fourteen cases with high mercury (Hg) levels. The intake of certain river fish species (catfish, tuna and tilapia) could be related with the exposure. We evaluate exposure biomarkers and susceptibility biomarkers; these last ones, are novel and can guide new studies in environmental toxicology. These results are significant because we found some similarities with the literature, among them, the relation of Hg ratio in maternal blood and umbilical cord, a possible exposure factor is fish consumption during pregnancy. High levels of Hg may be related with susceptibility biomarkers such as GSTs gene polymorphisms. This case series highlights the need to develop studies that evaluate the interactions between environmental factors and individual genetic susceptibility. Additionally, the importance of evaluating which Colombian fish species present the highest levels of Hg.

本研究报道了14例汞（mercury, Hg）水平偏高的病例。某些河流鱼类（鲶鱼、金枪鱼及罗非鱼）的摄入可能与汞暴露相关。
本研究对暴露生物标志物与易感生物标志物进行了评估，其中易感生物标志物为新型标志物，可为环境毒理学领域的后续研究提供指引。
本研究结果具有重要意义：我们发现本次研究与既往文献存在多处相似之处，其中包括母体血液与脐带血的汞比值关联，而妊娠期鱼类摄入或为潜在暴露因素。
高水平汞暴露或与谷胱甘肽S-转移酶（glutathione S-transferases, GSTs）基因多态性等易感生物标志物存在关联。
本病例系列研究强调，亟需开展相关研究以评估环境因素与个体遗传易感性之间的交互作用。
此外，明确哥伦比亚境内哪些鱼类物种的汞含量最高，这一评估工作同样具备重要意义。