Language

English

Publication Date

5-1-2025

Journal

American Journal of Human Biology

DOI

10.1002/ajhb.70063

PMID

40351282

PMCID

PMC12135211

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

5-1-2026

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

Objectives: Circulating Epstein-Barr virus antibodies (EBV-Ab) are used as a biomarker of chronic stress in high-income settings, but their relevance in environments with a high burden of infectious disease, nutritional constraints, and limited resources is less clear. We investigated EBV-Ab as a biomarker of adversity in a setting where local ecology and economy may affect immune development differently than in wealthy countries.

Methods: We measured EBV-Ab in finger-prick dried blood spots collected from Indigenous Shuar (n = 433) and non-Indigenous Colonos (n = 84) ranging from < 1 to 87 years old in Amazonian Ecuador. For a subset of adults (≥ 15 years, n = 210), we collected socioeconomic information (income, education, and occupation) and assessed household-level market integration. We determined the most important predictors of EBV-Ab for adults and children using multi-model averaging of linear regression models.

Results: Male children (< 15 years) had lower EBV-Ab than female children (model averaged β [SE]: -0.238 [0.066]). For adults, Shuar had higher EBV-Ab than Colonos (model averaged β [SE]: 0.235 [0.113]), and high systolic blood pressure was an important predictor of elevated EBV-Ab (model averaged β [SE]: 0.088 [0.047]). Individuals who reported unpaid domestic work as their primary occupation had higher EBV-Ab than agricultural workers (model averaged β [SE]: 0.302 [0.113]). Individuals living in houses with more market-sourced infrastructure had lower EBV-Ab (model averaged β [SE]: -0.088 [0.068]).

Conclusions: Circulating EBV-Ab may capture context-specific aspects of socioecological adversity in Amazonian Ecuador, highlighting disparities in EBV-Ab between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Ecuadorians and differences in immune function related to market integration.

Keywords

Humans, Ecuador, Adolescent, Female, Adult, Male, Child, Middle Aged, Child, Preschool, Biomarkers, Herpesvirus 4, Human, Infant, Young Adult, Aged, Antibodies, Viral, Aged, 80 and over, Socioeconomic Factors, Epstein-Barr Virus Infections, Epstein-Barr virus, immunology, biomarker, stress, market integration, Ecuador

Published Open-Access

yes

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