EFFECTS OF INFECTION ON NUTRITIONAL STATUS

Nutritional status is the nutritional health of a person influenced by one’s living conditions,
availability of food, food choices, and state of health. There are four levels of nutritional status.

 Optimal nutrition
 Marginal nutrition
 Malnutrition
 Over nutrition

Infection have been a reason for a worsening nutritional status in developing countries. Infections
are caused by microorganisms like, bacteria, viruses, and protozoans. They reduce the nutritional
health of a person and this is evident through physiological and anatomical changes is a person. It
is manifested in many ways some whish are systemic reactions such as fever, leukocytosis and
stimulation of adrenal cortical activity. Other manifestations include diarrhea, tissue inflammation
and necrosis, fatty liver, and changes skin and hair. Investigations have shown that infections
produce changes that are capable altering nutritional status.

Effects of bacterial infections

Bacteria influence majorly the way proteins are utilized in the body. Research has shown that
typhoid fever increased nitrogen levels in urine due to lose of muscle tissue mass. A decrease in
albumin serum levels is majorly also as a result of acute bacterial infections. Pneumonia for
example causes a decrease in albumin and an increase in alpha and beta globulins. Acute diarrheal
diseases associated with kwashiorkor reached high levels during dry seasons when flies were
prevalent. Increasing the rate at which these infections spread and also increasing rate at which
children contracted kwashiorkor. Tb infection also showed an increase in nitrogen excretion
leading to protein malnutrition. Other blood bacterial infection leads to lowering serum levels of
cysteine, arginine and phenylalanine which are free amino acids. Almost all bacterial infections
lead to an increase in nitrogen in urine. They also lead to decrease in protein intake which in the
long run causes a protein malnutrition.
Viral infections

Viral infections cause a considerable stress to the nutritional status a person though they are not
common. Measles is a viral infection that is always followed by diarrhea. Viruses also has an effect
on proteins and electrolyte balance in the body. Impaired absorption on nutrients is another major
problem caused by viral infection. These infections can lead muscle wasting and lead to increased
levels of nitrogen in urine.

Protozoal infections

Malaria is a common protozoal infection that affects the metabolism and lose of nutrients in the
body. Protozoans such as giardia, leshmania and entamoeba cause nutritional problems in such a
way that there are digestion and absorption problems. Protozoans such as amoeba also cause
diarrhea leading to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Other protozoa such as Plasmodium
burghei causes a protein and lipid metabolism problem. It also causes hepatic fibrosis, making the
liver not able to perform its normal metabolic processes. This alters the normal nutritional status
of a person and an individual starts developing malnutrition. Acute trypanasomiasis reduced
albumin levels and affects many types of amino acids. This causes a risk of protein malnutrion in
children, ketosis and edema in adults. Giardia lamblia cases impaired nutrient absorption.

Helminthic infections

Some worms in the GIT inhibit the function of digestive enzymes like trypsin and pepsin in protein
digestion an example is with askaris infection. Worms may also cause mechanical damage to the
intestinal mucosa causing impaired digestion and absorption of nutrients. This has a general effect
to the nutritional status of a person. Worms like hook worms hinder nutrient absorption in the
small intestines. Schistosomiasis leads leads to reduced albumin levels leading to wasting and
impaired growth due protein malnutrition. Helminthic infections are often associated with diarrhea
and lose of electrolytes.

The overall nutritional status of a person can be and is affected by various infections within the
body. The body in turn has to respond either chemically or hormonally to bring back body
functions to normal. If infections are not treated then there will be wasting, lose of function and
impaired growth due to impaired nutrient utilization and metabolism as show in the figure below.
 EFFECTS OF INFECTION ON NUTRIENTS

Nutrients are substances that provide nourishment essential for maintenance of life and for growth.
Infections have different effects on the availability and amounts of nutrients needed in the body.
Different types of infections have for example bacterial infections have a different impact on
nutrients as opposed to a fungal of viral infection.

In the case nutrients from carbohydrate sources eg glucose, its observed that all kind infections
especially those of bacterial and parasitic sources have an impact on the way the nutrients are
absorbed, metabolized and utilized in the body. Glucose is the end product of carbohydrates in the
body and thus the target of most infections. In the case malaria, plasmodium parasites satisfy their
energy requirements from stored glucose in the liver. Infections also lead to the production of
toxins that lead to a change in the way glucose and other nutrients are metabolized. Infections have
an effect on enzyme action, in that they alter the pattern of enzyme activity. Infections that affect
the GIT tract affect enzyme activity that catalyze different processes. This lead to malabsorption,
quality and quantity of nutrients needed in the body.

Infections such as influenza and pneumonia lead to increase in liver fat and fecal fat. This is
observed with intestinal parasites such as Giardia lamblia. This is because infections lead to a
decrease in fat absorption this results to steatorrhea. Vitamins help in a great way in fighting
diseases but infections also have impact the availability of these vitamins in the body.
Concentration of vitamin A in the body has shown to reduce pneumonia, rheumatoid arthritis,
acute tonsillitis and rheumatic fever. However the presence of parasites in the liver inhibit proper
absorption of vitamin A in the body.

Viruses and helminthic infections led to a decrease in thiamine concentration in the body. Some
intestinal bacteria synthesis thiamine and infections of parasitic nature that disrupt the environment
in which the bacteria function optimally lead to reduction in the amount of thiamine in the body.
This causes a condition known as beriberi. Some parasites like tapeworms need some vitamins
especially the B12. This leads to a deficiency in iron metabolism leading to anemia. Infections
have also caused a decrease in ascorbic acid concentration in blood in infections that cause malaria
and tuberculosis. This reduction is also observed with an increased loss of ascorbic acid in urine
as a result of these infections. Vitamin D was also seen to reduce with pneumonia infection.
Iron is another important nutrient essential in the sustenance of life. Lose of iron due to infections
can prove fetal to life. Helminthic infections mostly those that depend on a blood diet lead to
deficiency of iron in the body leading to anemia. Malaria is another fetal infection that leads to
iron deficiency due the splitting of hemoglobin to form heme. Heme is then used to form a pigment
that is picked up by the reticuloendothelial system. There is a problem when the pigment is not
reoxidised for reuse then a lot of iron is lost leading to anemia as a result of malaria infection.
Bacterial infections that lead to necrosis and finally hemorrhage lead to lose of iron.
References

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effects of infection and malnutrition on protein metabolism in children. Clinical Science,
65:313-324
II. Castillo Y, Tachibana M, Nakatsu Y, Watanabe K, Shimizu T et al. (2015) Combination
of iron and all-trans retinoic acid promotes protection against Listeria monocytogenes
infection. Plos One 10: e0137463.
III. Ricordi C, Garcia-Contreras M, Farnetti S (2015) Diet and inflammation: Possible effects
on immunity, chronic diseases and life span. J Am Coll Nutr 34: 10-13.
IV. Von Bonsdorff, B. (1956) Parasitological reviews: Diphyllobothrium latum as a cause of
pernicious anemia. Experimental Parasitology,5007.