A biomarker in meconium for fetal exposure to alcohol

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Alcohol exposure of the fetus is the largest preventable cause of mental retardation, and maternal histories of alcohol exposure are notoriously unreliable. The identification of which infant will be adversely affected by alcohol remains problematic because maternal metabolism of alcohol (based on genetic differences in enzymatic activities), drinking quantity and pattern, maternal age, and no doubt other factors contribute to the fetal risk. Furthermore, physical examination of infants at birth will miss a great majority of infants negatively impacted by fetal alcohol exposure. Bearer et al report the further development of biomarkers in meconium as indicators of amount of fetal exposure to alcohol. They find that the fatty acid ester ethyl linoleate, a non-oxidative metaboliltic of ethanol, is potentially useful for identifying fetal alcohol exposure. Such biomarkers should be helpful for epidemiologic and interventional studies of this intractable problem.