Cat and dog allergy and total IgE as risk factors of laboratory animal allergy☆,☆☆,★,★★
Section snippets
Study population
Employees from laboratory animal facilities of four universities, two research institutes, and a pharmaceutical company and students of a laboratory school participated in the study. All subjects working with small laboratory animals or having contact with material from these animals were invited to participate. Of approximately 750 eligible subjects, 579 (77%) participated. Questionnaires were completed by 577 subjects (99.6%), 577 subjects (99.6%) provided blood samples, and 542 subjects
Prevalence rate of symptoms of allergy
Allergy symptoms (chest tightness [asthma], eye, nose, or skin symptoms) attributed to working with laboratory animals were highly prevalent among the laboratory animal workers. Most symptoms of allergy were reported by individuals working with rats. Among the 458 workers who had ever worked with rats, 86 (18.8%) reported at least one rat-related allergic symptom. Among individuals who had ever worked with mice (n = 377), at least one mouse-related allergic symptom was reported by 10.1% of the
DISCUSSION
This study is one of the largest on LAA in which symptoms and sensitization to rats and mice, measured by SPTs and specific IgE, have been studied. The overall prevalence rate of symptoms of allergy to rats in our study was 19%, which is roughly similar to prevalence rates found in other studies on rat allergy in the United States (12%7), United Kingdom (18%10 and 31%15), and Japan (25%13). The prevalence rate of mouse-related symptoms was 10% and tended to be lower than described in most other
Acknowledgements
We thank Jack Spithoven, Siegfried de Wind, Paula van Run, and Monique Leblanc for their technical assistance and all laboratory animal workers for their participation.
References (36)
Allergy to laboratory animals: epidemiologic, clinical, physiologic aspects, and a trial of cromolyn in its management
J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL
(1980)- et al.
Allergy to murine antigens in a biological research institute
J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL
(1981) - et al.
Allergy in laboratory animal workers
Lancet
(1981) - et al.
Occupational challenge studies with laboratory workers allergic to rats
J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL
(1990) - et al.
Analysis of rat urine proteins and allergens by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting
J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL
(1993) - et al.
Allergy to laboratory animals: a survey by questionnaire
Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol
(1981) - et al.
Laboratory animal allergy: a clinical survey of an exposed population
Br J Ind Med
(1981) - et al.
Prevalence and diagnosis of laboratory animal allergy
Clin Allergy
(1983) - et al.
Occupational allergy to laboratory animals: an epidemiological study
J Occup Med
(1986) - et al.
Allergy to laboratory animals in laboratory technicians and animal keepers
Br J Ind Med
(1986)
Allergy to laboratory animals: a prospective study of its incidence and of the influence of atopy on its development
Br J Ind Med
Laboratory animal allergy in a pharmaceutical company
Br J Ind Med
Allergy to laboratory animals: a prospective and cross-sectional study
J Occup Med
Predisposing factors in laboratory animal allergy: a study of atopy and environmental factors
Am J Ind Med
Allergy to laboratory animals: an epidemiological study
Br J Ind Med
Sensitization to laboratory animals and small-airway hyperreactivity
Indoor Environ
Work related symptoms, sensitisation, and estimated exposure in workers not previously exposed to laboratory rats
Occup Environ Med
Smoking, atopy, and laboratory animal allergy
Br J Ind Med
Cited by (89)
Long term effect and allergic sensitization in newly employed workers in laboratory animal facilities
2015, Respiratory MedicineCitation Excerpt :One out of five persons who commenced working in laboratory animal facilities became sensitized against LA during the first two years of employment. The incidence of allergic sensitisation is similar to what previously has been reported following exposure to LA [6,22–24]. Of those who became sensitized against LA, more than three out of four were atopic at study entry, clearly showing atopy as the major risk factor.
Pattern of allergen-specific IgE sensitization relative to total serum IgE concentration in young adults
2010, Annals of Allergy, Asthma and ImmunologyEpidemiology and clinical course of allergic occupational rhinitis
2010, Archives des Maladies Professionnelles et de l'EnvironnementThe Dutch diagnostic model for laboratory animal allergen sensitization was generalizable in Canadian apprentices
2009, Journal of Clinical EpidemiologyCitation Excerpt :The second objective was to derive a diagnostic questionnaire model for the sensitization to LA allergens from the Canadian apprentices, and evaluate if whether or not the inclusion of predictors that were available in the Canadian setting could improve the performance of the existing model. The existing diagnostic questionnaire model for the sensitization to LA allergens was derived from the first period of a cohort study investigating exposure–response relationships among 472 Dutch LA workers [2,8]. Questionnaire items, exposure determinants, IgE serology, SPT, and lung function tests were collected from all workers.
Allergic rhinitis in laboratory animal workers and its risk factors
2009, Annals of Allergy, Asthma and ImmunologyCitation Excerpt :Laboratory personnel who work with animals are in regular contact with furry animals, and these people are often susceptible to laboratory-associated animal allergies. Previous studies have reported that the prevalence of laboratory animal allergy is 10% to 23% 1-3 and that the incidence rate is 1.56 per 1,000 workers for occupational asthma and 2.54 per 1,000 workers for occupational rhinitis. 4 In Korea, 1 study reported that the prevalence of sensitization to laboratory animal allergens (LAAs) was 18.8% and that the rate of work-related symptoms was 31.3%. 5
Associations between pre-employment immunologic and airway mucosal factors and the development of occupational allergy
2009, Journal of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyCitation Excerpt :Expressed according to the criteria put forward by Palmer et al,7 a screening program aiming at excluding job applicants with atopy and a total IgE level of greater than 100 IU/mL would result in a number excluded to prevent 1 case of 2.6 (validation cohort, 3.7) and a number needed to screen to prevent 1 case of 16.7 (validation cohort, 21.9). In this cohort the incidence of sensitization was very similar to the incidence of laboratory animal allergy reported in previous studies.1-3 It is described in the literature that sensitization is frequently followed by the development of occupational allergy, which is usually defined as having work-related allergic symptoms in the presence of sensitization.19
- ☆
From the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Agricultural University Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- ☆☆
Supported by research grants from The Netherlands Asthma Foundation, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, and the European Union (contract no. BMH1-CT94-1446).
- ★
Reprint requests: Dick Heederik, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Agricultural University Wageningen, P.O. Box 238, 6700 AE Wageningen, The Netherlands.
- ★★
0091-6749/96 $5.00 + 0 1/1/73136