Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.,
Volume 164, Number 6, September 2001, 995-1001
Prenatal Exposure, Maternal Sensitization, and
Sensitization In Utero To Indoor Allergens in an
Inner-City Cohort
RACHEL L.
MILLER,
GINGER L.
CHEW,
COURTNEY A.
BELL,
STEPHANIE A.
BIEDERMANN,
MANEESHA
AGGARWAL,
PATRICK L.
KINNEY,
WEI YANN
TSAI,
ROBIN M.
WHYATT,
FREDERICA P.
PERERA,
and
JEAN G.
FORD
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York,
New York; and Harlem Hospital Center, Department of Medicine, and Division of Environmental Health Sciences and Division of Biostatistics,
Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
Primary sensitization to antigens may occur prenatally. We hypothesized that high prenatal exposure to indoor antigens increases the risk for sensitization in newborns in New York City
populations with increased risk for asthma. We also investigated
whether maternal sensitization is required for in utero sensitization to occur. One hundred sixty-seven pregnant African American
or Dominican women residing in northern Manhattan were recruited and antigen was measured from home dust. After delivery,
newborn cord and maternal blood were assayed for IgE and
mononuclear cell proliferation and cytokine production in response to antigen. Cockroach, mouse, but not dust mite antigens,
were commonly elevated in the kitchens and pregnant mothers'
beds. Increased mononuclear cell proliferation occurred in 54% of
newborns in response to cockroach, 25% in response to dust mite
Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, 40% in response to dust mite D. farinae, and 34% in response to mouse protein extracts. Antigen-induced mononuclear cell proliferation occurred in cord blood
even in the absence of antigen-induced mononuclear cell proliferation in the mother. Proliferation in response to antigens did not
correlate with IgE levels, but proliferation in response to dust mite
extracts correlated with interluekin-5 (IL-5) production in cord
blood. These results suggest that (1) high prenatal exposures to
cockroach and mouse antigens are prevalent; (2) in utero sensitization to multiple indoor antigens is common, occurs to a different
degree than maternal sensitization, and may involve IL-5 upregulation.
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Copyright © 2001 American Thoracic Society
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