Working with male rodents may increase risk of allergy to laboratory animals

• Published in: Allergy (Copenhagen) Vol. 56; no. 10; pp. 964 - 970
• Main Authors: RENSTRÖM, A, KARLSSON, A.-S, MALMBERG, P, LARSSON, P. H, VAN HAGE-HAMSTEN, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Blackwell 01.10.2001
• Subjects: Adult; Allergic diseases; Animal Technicians; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; General aspects; Humans; Hypersensitivity - etiology; Hypersensitivity - immunology; Immunoglobulin E - blood; Immunopathology; laboratory animals; Male; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Rodentia; Sex Factors; Statistics, Nonparametric; Workplace; Human; Immunopathology; Allergy; Rat; Specific IgE; IgE; Rodentia; Male; Occupational exposure; Atopy; Symptomatology; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Risk factor; Aeroallergen; Sensitization; Laboratory animal; Occupational medicine; Allergen
• ISSN: 0105-4538; 1398-9995
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.00899.x

Our aim was to study the risk of laboratory animal allergy (LAA) among research staff working in laboratories separate from the animal confinement area. The roles of atopy and exposure intensity in LAA were studied with special regard to exposure to male rodents, who excrete higher levels of urinary allergens than female rodents. Eighty rodent-exposed subjects gave blood samples for the analysis of total IgE, Phadiatop, and specific IgE against rat (RUA) and mouse urinary allergens (MUA), and answered questionnaires. Air samples were collected for RUA and MUA aeroallergen measurement in both laboratories and animal confinement facilities. Twenty percent of the subjects had IgE >0.35 kU/l to RUA and/or MUA, and 32% had experienced animal work-related symptoms, although 90% of aeroallergen samples from the research department laboratories were below the detection limit (<0.26 ng RUA per m(3) and <0.8 ng MUA per m(3)). Atopy (positive Phadiatop), total IgE >100 kU/l, other allergies (especially to other animals), or more than 4 years of exposure significantly increased laboratory animal sensitization and symptoms. Working with mainly male rodents gave odds ratios (95% CI) of 3.8 (0.97-15) for sensitization and 4.4 (1.4-14) for symptoms. Subjects with both exposure to mainly male rodents and atopy or elevated total IgE had a 10-fold higher frequency of sensitization than exposed subjects with neither risk factor. A majority of subjects with a combination of exposure to mainly male rodents and atopy or elevated total IgE developed sensitization to and symptoms from laboratory animals. Current low exposure seems to maintain the presence of specific IgE. Further measures must be undertaken to provide a safe workplace for laboratory animal workers.