Health effects of endotoxin and beta-1,3-D-glucan exposure

• Main Authors: Wan, Gwo-Hwa, 萬國華
• Other Authors: Chih-Shan Li, Rong-Hwa Lin
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 1998
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/86193641650750803112

博士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 公共衛生研究所 === 86 === To evaluate dose-response relationships between work-related airway inflammation and systemic sysmptoms and dampness exposure, a cross-sectional study on risk factors was carried out among 1,237 employees in 19 air-conditioning office buildings in August and September 1995 in the subtropical Taipei area. Completed self-reported questionnaires included their sociodemographic, indoor environmental quality perceptions, workspace factors, dampness exposure, and occurrence of allergicdiseases, respiratory diseases and airway inflammation / systemic symptoms. Dampness exposures included in data analyses as indexes were combinations of stuffy odor, mold, water damage and a history of flooding.The most common airway inflammation and systemic symptoms were headache, lethargy/ fatigue and eye irritation, while the least symptom was shortness of breath. Alsoallergic rhinitis was the most prevalent respiratory complain among the respondents. After controlling for age,sex, job dissatisfaction, ventilationand atopy, the odds ratio (OR) for eyeirritation for employees was 1.34 when either stuffy odor or mold was presentin the buildings. The OR increased to 1.72 when both stuffy odor and mold were present, to 3.14 when sign of water damage was also present, and to 5.03 when all four dampness exposure characteristics were noticed in buildings. Indoor dampness is a very common condition in office buildings in the city, the presenceof dampness in the building has a dose-response effect for eye irritation, cough,and lethargy/fatigue among employees. In addition, indoor bioaerosols (bacteria, fungi, endotoxin, and beta-1,3-glucan) weredetermined in 8 daycare centers, 8 office buildings, and 8 domesticenvironmentsin the Taipei area. The associations between indoor dampness, bioaerosols, and airway inflammation / systemic symptoms were furtherly performed using a questionnairesurvey. It was demonstrated that the median contents of indoorbacteria and fungi were the highest for daycare centers, followed by those for homes and for office buildings. The similar patterns were observed for endotoxin and beta-1,3-glucan.Regarding the airway inflammation andsystemic symptoms, the prevalence rateswere higher for females in office building than those in daycare centers, and most symptoms were more prevalent for females than for males. Regarding bioaerosolexposure in relation to airway inflammation and systemic symptoms, there was a strongassociation between beta-1,3-glucan and lethargy/fatigue. In Taiwan, the predominant perennial allergens are house dust mite (HDM) and fungi. However, mite allergen levels in these subtropical homes were always found to be higher than the threshold for sensitization of HDM allergic responses, therefore, the amounts of mite allergen might not be the determining factor for allergy sensitization. Organic dusts and gaseous pollutants are regarded as potential risk factors for allergic diseases. Furthermore, we have shown that nonspecific innate immune responses induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS) and beta-1,3-D-glucan may influence the type of antigen-specific immune effector function. In this study, it was observed that inhaled LPS and beta-1,3-D-glucan (Grifolan) can abrogate airway inhalation-induced IgE- specifictolerance and enhance airwayallergen-specific IgE responses. These results havepotential implications forunderstanding the development of aerosolized allergen-induced airway allergicresponses.