CA Blaski, WD Clapp, PS Thorne, TJ Quinn, JL Watt, KL Fress, SJ Yagla and DA Schwartz
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.

To determine whether atopy influences the physiologic or inflammatory response to grain dust, we compared spirometric measures of airflow and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) measures of lower respiratory tract inflammation between demographically similar nonatopic (n = 10) and atopic (n = 10) study subjects after each of two inhalation exposures: Hanks' balanced salt solution (HBSS) and corn dust extract (CDE; 0.4 microgram of endotoxin/kg body weight). Subjects were healthy nonsmokers with similar baseline pulmonary function, without bronchial hyperreactivity, and had not participated in agriculture. Atopic subjects had two or more positive skin responses to 10 common environmental allergens. Both groups developed significant airflow obstruction and lower airway inflammation after CDE inhalation. Importantly, the magnitude of the post-CDE exposure airflow decrements, BAL cellularity, and BAL concentration of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), IL-6, and IL-8 did not significantly differ between atopics and nonatopics. The concentrations of histamine and eosinophils in the BAL fluid were unaffected by CDE inhalation and did not significantly differ between atopics and nonatopics. Atopic status does not appear to be a significant determinant of airflow obstruction or lower airway inflammation following CDE inhalation. Our findings suggest that atopy may play, at most, a minor role in the development of grain dust-induced airway disease.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. A. Pacheco, C. McCammon, A. H. Liu, P. S. Thorne, M. E. O'Neill, J. Martyny, L. S. Newman, R. F. Hamman, and C. S. Rose Airborne Endotoxin Predicts Symptoms in Non-Mouse-sensitized Technicians and Research Scientists Exposed to Laboratory Mice Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., April 1, 2003; 167(7): 983 - 990. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Monso, M. Schenker, K. Radon, E. Riu, R. Magarolas, S. McCurdy, B. Danuser, M. Iversen, C. Saiki, and D. Nowak Region-related risk factors for respiratory symptoms in European and Californian farmers Eur. Respir. J., February 1, 2003; 21(2): 323 - 331. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. Tesfaigzi, K. Rudolph, M. J. Fischer, and C. A. Conn Bcl-2 mediates sex-specific differences in recovery of mice from LPS-induced signs of sickness independent of IL-6 J Appl Physiol, November 1, 2001; 91(5): 2182 - 2189. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. MONSO, R. MAGAROLAS, K. RADON, B. DANUSER, M. IVERSEN, C. WEBER, U. OPRAVIL, K. J. DONHAM, and D. NOWAK Respiratory Symptoms of Obstructive Lung Disease in European Crop Farmers Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., October 1, 2000; 162(4): 1246 - 1250. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.-P. ZOCK, D. HEEDERIK, and B. BRUNEKREEF Influence of Shift Work and Host Factors on Endotoxin-related Acute Peak Flow Changes Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., January 1, 1999; 159(1): 137 - 142. [Abstract] [Full Text]