ArticleInternational journal of obesity (2005)2018
Is early life exposure to polyomaviruses and herpesviruses associated with obesity indices and metabolic traits in childhood?
Article in International journal of obesity (2005), 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Sero-epidemiological studies of pathogen burden: A scoping review.Wellcome open research · 2026Pooled it
- Equity in protection: bridging global data gaps for an EBV vaccine-a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ global health · 2025Pooled it
- Herpes simplex virus: global infection prevalence and incidence estimates, 2016.Bulletin of the World Health Organization · 2020Pooled it
- Early-life infections and life course health and disease in the EU child cohort network.European journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- DNA methylation and gene expression signatures for common childhood infections.Clinical epigenetics · 2026Article
- A multi-etiological model of childhood obesity: a new biobehavioral perspective for prevention?Italian journal of pediatrics · 2019Article
- Prevalence, Magnitude, and Genotype Distribution of Urinary Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Shedding Among CMV-Seropositive Children and Adolescents in the United States.Open forum infectious diseases · 2019Article
- Multi-etiological Perspective on Child Obesity Prevention.Current nutrition reports · 2019Review
- Adipose Tissue T Cells in HIV/SIV Infection.Frontiers in immunology · 2018Review
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Authors and funding
14 authors at 7 institutions in 5 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEvidence for an infectious origin of obesity is emerging. We explored whether common viruses were associated with obesity and metabolic traits.
methodsWe used cross-sectional (n = 674) and prospective (n = 440) data from children participating at the 4 and 6 years of age follow-up in the Rhea birth cohort. Presence of IgG antibodies to ten polyomaviruses (BKPyV, JCPyV, KIPyV, WUPyV, HPyV6, HPyV7, TSPyV, MCPyV, HPyV9, and HPyV10) and four herpesviruses (EBV, CMV, HSV-1, and HSV-2) were measured at age 4. Body mass index, waist circumference, and skinfold thickness were measured at age 4 and 6. Data on serum lipids, leptin, and adiponectin were also available. Multivariable linear regression models were used to explore the associations.
resultsAt 4 years of age, seroprevalence to polyomaviruses ranged from 21.0% for HPyV9 to 82.0% for HPyV10. Seroprevalence for EBV, CMV, HSV-1, and HSV-2 was 53.0%, 26.0%, 3.6%, and 1.5% respectively. BKPyV seropositivity was associated with lower BMI SD score at age 4 [-0.21 (95% CI: -0.39, -0.03)] and 6 [-0.27 (95% CI:-0.48, -0.05)], waist circumference at age 4 [-1.12 cm (95% CI: -2.10, -0.15)] and 6 [-1.73 cm (95% CI: -3.33, -0.12)], sum of four skinfolds [-2.97 mm (95% CI: -5.70, -0.24)], and leptin levels at age 4 [ratio of geometric means, 0.83 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.98)]. CMV seropositivity was associated with higher BMI SD score at age 4 [0.28 (95% CI: 0.11, 0.45)] and 6 [0.24 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.45)] and sum of four skinfolds at age 6 [4.75 mm (95% CI: 0.67, 8.83)]. Having "2-3 herpesviruses infections" (versus "0 herpesvirus infections") was associated with higher BMI SD score [0.32, (95% CI: 0.12, 0.53)], waist circumference [1.22 cm (95% CI: 0.13, 2.31)], and sum of four skinfolds [3.26 mm (95% CI: 0.18, 6.35)] at age 4. Polyomaviruses burden was not associated with outcomes.
conclusionsA higher herpesviruses burden and CMV seropositivity were associated with obesity traits in childhood.
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