Invited commentary: assessing mechanistic interaction between coinfecting pathogens for diarrheal disease

Abstract

The interaction estimates from Bhavnani et al. (Am J Epidemiol. 2012;176(5):387-395) are used to evaluate evidence for mechanistic interaction between coinfecting pathogens for diarrheal disease. Mechanistic interaction is said to be present if there are individuals for whom the outcome would occur if both of 2 exposures are present but would not occur if 1 or the other of the exposures is absent. In the epidemiologic literature, mechanistic interaction is often conceived of as synergism within Rothman's sufficient-cause framework. Tests for additive interaction are sometimes used to assess such synergism or mechanistic interaction, but testing for positive additive interaction only allows for the conclusion of mechanistic interaction under fairly strong "monotonicity" assumptions. Alternative tests for mechanistic interaction, which do not require monotonicity assumptions, have been developed more recently but require more substantial additive interaction to draw the conclusion of the presence of mechanistic interaction. The additive interaction reported by Bhavnani et al. is of sufficient magnitude to provide strong evidence of mechanistic interaction between rotavirus and Giardia and between rotavirus and Escherichia. coli/Shigellae, even without any assumptions about monotonicity.