Persistent Socioeconomic and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pathogen Burden in the United States, 1999-2014

Citation

Stebbins, Rebecca C.; Noppert, Grace A.; Aiello, Allison E.; Cordoba, Evette; Ward, Julia B.; & Feinstein, Lydia (2019). Persistent Socioeconomic and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Pathogen Burden in the United States, 1999-2014. Epidemiology & Infection, 147, e301. PMCID: PMC6873154

Abstract

The disproportionate burden of prevalent, persistent pathogens among disadvantaged groups may contribute to socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in long-term health. We assessed if the social patterning of pathogen burden changed over 16 years in a U.S.-representative sample. Data came from 17 660 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey participants. Pathogen burden was quantified by summing the number of positive serologies for cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus-1, HSV-2, human papillomavirus and Toxoplasma gondii and dividing by the number of pathogens tested, giving a percent-seropositive for each participant. We examined sex- and age-adjusted mean pathogen burdens from 1999-2014, stratified by race/ethnicity and SES (poverty-to-income ratio (PIR); educational attainment). Those with a PIR < 1.3 had a mean pathogen burden 1.4-1.8 times those with a PIR > 3.5, with no change over time. Educational disparities were even greater and showed some evidence of increasing over time, with the mean pathogen burden among those with less than a high school education approximately twice that of those who completed more than high school. Non-Hispanic Black, Mexican American and other Hispanic participants had a mean pathogen burden 1.3-1.9 times non-Hispanic Whites. We demonstrate that socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in pathogen burden have persisted across 16 years, with little evidence that the gap is closing.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0950268819001894

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2019

Journal Title

Epidemiology & Infection

Author(s)

Stebbins, Rebecca C.
Noppert, Grace A.
Aiello, Allison E.
Cordoba, Evette
Ward, Julia B.
Feinstein, Lydia

PMCID

PMC6873154

ORCiD

Aiello - 0000-0001-7029-2537
Noppert - 0000-0002-2040-960x