Biomarkers of respiratory allergy in laboratory animal care workers: an observational study

Club cell protein (CC16) in serum as an effect marker for small airway epithelial damage caused by diesel exhaust and blasting fumes in potash mining

OBJECTIVE

The effect marker club cell protein (CC16) is secreted by the epithelium of the small respiratory tract into its lumen and passes into the blood. Increased amounts of CC16 in serum are observed during acute epithelial lung injury due to air pollutants. CC16 in serum was determined as part of this cross-sectional study in underground potash miners on acute and chronic health effects from exposures to diesel exhaust and blasting fumes.

METHODS

Nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and diesel particulate matter were measured in 672 workers at a German potash mining site on a person-by-person basis over an early shift or midday shift, together with CC16 serum concentrations before and after the respective shift. CC16 concentrations and CC16 shift-differences were evaluated with respect to personal exposure measurements and other quantitative variables by Spearman rank correlation coefficients. CC16 shift-differences were modeled using multiple linear regression. Above-ground workers as reference group were compared to the exposed underground workers.

RESULTS

Serum concentrations of CC16 were influenced by personal characteristics such as age, smoking status, and renal function. Moreover, they showed a circadian rhythm. While no statistically significant effects of work-related exposure on CC16 concentrations were seen in never smokers, such effects were evident in current smokers.

CONCLUSION

The small airways of current smokers appeared to be vulnerable to the combination of measured work-related exposures and individual exposure to smoking. Therefore, as health protection of smokers exposed to diesel exhaust and blasting fumes, smoking cessation is strongly recommended.

Exhaled breath condensate analysis in horses: A scoping review

Exhaled breath condensate (EBC) collection is a non-invasive sampling method that provides valuable information regarding the health status of the respiratory system by measuring inflammatory mediators, such as pH, hydrogen peroxide, and leukotriene B4. This scoping review aimed to provide an update on the collection and analysis of EBC in horses. A systematic search of three electronic databases, PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, identified 40,978 articles, of which 1590 duplicates were excluded. Moreover, 39,388 articles were excluded because of irrelevance to this review, such as studies on other species, studies on respiratory exhalation, reviews, and theses. Finally, we evaluated 14 articles in this review. Our review revealed significant differences in the collection, storage, and processing of EBC samples, emphasizing the need for standardizing the technique and using specific equipment to improve the interpretation of the results.

Update on exhaled breath condensate analyses in occupational disease

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The present work represents an update of the review published in this journal by Corradi et al., regarding the use of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) to investigate occupational lung diseases.

RECENT FINDINGS

The relevant literature was searched in the Medline database, assessed through PubMed using key terms such as 'breath AND condensate AND occupational'. Eleven pertinent publications were retrieved between January 2018 and October 2019. One article only was related to occupational allergy, and the conclusion is that EBC hydrogen peroxide is not an useful marker in laboratory animal allergy. The biomarkers of exposure most often assessed with EBC are metals. However, it is controversial whether this approach has any advantage over the conventional environmental monitoring. The biomarkers of effect studied by the majority of investigations were those related to oxidative stress. They appear consistently elevated upon occupational exposures to various agents, including welding fumes, crystalline silica, nanomaterials and chemicals.

SUMMARY

Although EBC represent a suitable tool to sample airway lining fluid in a noninvasive manner, it remains a niche approach to the investigation of occupational diseases. The confounding influence of EBC dilution should be better addressed in the expression of the results.

How Working Tasks Influence Biocontamination in an Animal Facility

The exposure to biocontaminants in animal facilities represents a risk for developing infectious, allergic and toxic diseases. The aim of this study was to determine what factors could be associated with a high level of exposure to biological agents through the measure and characterization of airborne fungi, bacteria, endotoxin, (1,3)-β-d-glucan and animal allergens. Airborne microorganisms were collected with an air sampler and identified by microscopic and biochemical methods. Endotoxin, (1,3)-β-d-glucan, Mus m 1, Rat n 1, Can f 1, Fel d 1, Equ c 4 allergens were detected on inhalable dust samples by Kinetic LAL, Glucatell, and ELISA assays, respectively. Our data evidenced that changing cages is a determinant factor in increasing the concentration of the airborne biocontaminants; the preparation of bedding and distribution of feed, performed in the storage area, is another critical working task in terms of exposure to endotoxins (210.7 EU/m3) and (1,3)-β-d-glucans (4.3 ng/m3). The highest concentration of Mus m 1 allergen (61.5 ng/m3) was observed in the dirty washing area. The detection of expositive peaks at risk of sensitization (>2 μg/g) by Fel d 1 in animal rooms shows passive transport by operators themselves, highlighting their role as vehicle between occupational and living environments.