Home LiteratureArticle Details
PMID: 11809997 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

Does environmental endotoxin exposure prevent asthma?

Thorax ·Vol. 57 ·No. 1 ·2002-01-00 ·Pages 86-90

Douwes J, Pearce N, Heederik D

Abstract

The evidence as to whether exposure to environmental airborne endotoxin plays a protective or an inducing role in the development of asthma is reviewed. Studies of endotoxin and atopy, endotoxin and asthma, and farming and asthma are considered and, in each instance, a distinction is made between evidence of primary causation and evidence of secondary causation. It is concluded that, although it is plausible that bacterial endotoxin may protect against the development of asthma, there is considerable reason for caution regarding this hypothesis.

MeSH Terms
Adult Agricultural Workers' Diseases/immunology,prevention & control Asthma/etiology,immunology,prevention & control Child Endotoxins/adverse effects,immunology Environmental Exposure Humans Hypersensitivity, Immediate/immunology,prevention & control
Chemicals
Endotoxins
Authors & Affiliations
3 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Douwes J
Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health, Utrecht University, The Netherlands. [email protected]
Pearce N
Heederik D
References (78)
78 references, click to expand
  1. Relation between the bronchial obstructive response to inhaled lipopolysaccharide and bronchial responsiveness to histamine.
    Thorax. 1992 Apr;47(4):288-91 PMID: 1585294
  2. Respiratory disorders and atopy in cotton, wool, and other textile mill workers in Denmark.
    Am J Ind Med. 1992;22(2):163-84 PMID: 1415284
  3. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) inhalation in healthy subjects increases neutrophils, lymphocytes and fibronectin levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.
    Eur Respir J. 1992 Sep;5(8):992-6 PMID: 1426208
  4. Dust- and endotoxin-related respiratory effects in the animal feed industry.
    Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992 Dec;146(6):1474-9 PMID: 1456563
  5. Inflammatory response to acute inhalation of endotoxin in asthmatic patients.
    Am Rev Respir Dis. 1992 Aug;146(2):352-7 PMID: 1489124
  6. Bronchial reactivity among cotton workers in relation to dust and endotoxin exposure.
    Ann Occup Hyg. 1993 Feb;37(1):57-63 PMID: 8460879
  7. Respiratory health status in swine producers relates to endotoxin exposure in the presence of low dust levels.
    J Occup Med. 1994 Jan;36(1):49-56 PMID: 8138848
  8. Dust- and endotoxin-related acute lung function changes and work-related symptoms in workers in the animal feed industry.
    Am J Ind Med. 1994 Jun;25(6):877-88 PMID: 8067364
  9. Determinants of longitudinal changes in spirometric function among swine confinement operators and farmers.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1995 Jan;151(1):47-53 PMID: 7812571
  10. Blood inflammatory response to inhaled endotoxin in normal subjects.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 1995 Jan;25(1):73-9 PMID: 7728626
  11. The role of endotoxin in grain dust-induced lung disease.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1995 Aug;152(2):603-8 PMID: 7633714
  12. Cross-sectional follow-up of a flu-like respiratory illness among fiberglass manufacturing employees: endotoxin exposure associated with two distinct sequelae.
    Am J Ind Med. 1995 Oct;28(4):469-88 PMID: 8533789
  13. Prevalence of self-reported asthma symptoms in a French elderly sample.
    Respir Med. 1996 Aug;90(7):401-8 PMID: 8796232
  14. Endotoxin exposure-response in a fiberglass manufacturing facility.
    Am J Ind Med. 1996 Jan;29(1):3-13 PMID: 8808037
  15. Disinfectant use as a risk factor for atopic sensitization and symptoms consistent with asthma: an epidemiological study.
    Eur Respir J. 1996 Jul;9(7):1407-13 PMID: 8836651
  16. Cell mediated immunity after measles in Guinea-Bissau: historical cohort study.
    BMJ. 1996 Oct 19;313(7063):969-74 PMID: 8892416
  17. Exposure to bacteria in swine-house dust and acute inflammatory reactions in humans.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1996 Nov;154(5):1261-6 PMID: 8912733
  18. Severity of asthma is related to endotoxin in house dust.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1996 Dec;154(6 Pt 1):1641-6 PMID: 8970348
  19. Occupational asthma in New Zealanders: a population based study.
    Occup Environ Med. 1997 May;54(5):301-6 PMID: 9196450
  20. Dose-response relationship to inhaled endotoxin in normal subjects.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1997 Oct;156(4 Pt 1):1157-64 PMID: 9351616
  21. Endotoxin exposure as a major determinant of lung function decline in pig farmers.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998 Jan;157(1):15-8 PMID: 9445272
  22. Acute lung function changes and low endotoxin exposures in the potato processing industry.
    Am J Ind Med. 1998 Apr;33(4):384-91 PMID: 9513646
  23. Endotoxin exposure and symptoms in asthmatic children.
    Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 1997 Aug;8(3):121-6 PMID: 9532251
  24. Atopic versus infectious diseases in childhood: a question of balance?
    Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 1997 May;8(2):53-8 PMID: 9617774
  25. Determinants of asthma in a farming population.
    Scand J Work Environ Health. 1998 Aug;24(4):262-9 PMID: 9754857
  26. Decline in lung function related to exposure and selection processes among workers in the grain processing and animal feed industry.
    Occup Environ Med. 1998 May;55(5):349-55 PMID: 9764113
  27. Respiratory health hazards in agriculture.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1998 Nov;158(5 Pt 2):S1-S76 PMID: 9817727
  28. Influence of shift work and host factors on endotoxin-related acute peak flow changes.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999 Jan;159(1):137-42 PMID: 9872831
  29. Asthma and allergy in New Zealand farmers.
    Am J Ind Med. 1999 Jan;35(1):51-7 PMID: 9884745
  30. Prevalence of hay fever and allergic sensitization in farmer's children and their peers living in the same rural community. SCARPOL team. Swiss Study on Childhood Allergy and Respiratory Symptoms with Respect to Air Pollution.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 1999 Jan;29(1):28-34 PMID: 10051699
  31. Maturation of immune responses at the beginning of asthma.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999 Mar;103(3 Pt 1):355-61 PMID: 10069865
  32. Childhood environment and adult atopy: results from the European Community Respiratory Health Survey.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1999 Mar;103(3 Pt 1):415-20 PMID: 10069874
  33. Inflammatory response after inhalation of bacterial endotoxin assessed by the induced sputum technique.
    Thorax. 1998 Dec;53(12):1047-52 PMID: 10195077
  34. A Polymorphism* in the 5' flanking region of the CD14 gene is associated with circulating soluble CD14 levels and with total serum immunoglobulin E.
    Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 1999 May;20(5):976-83 PMID: 10226067
  35. Does early exposure to cat or dog protect against later allergy development?
    Clin Exp Allergy. 1999 May;29(5):611-7 PMID: 10231320
  36. How much asthma is really attributable to atopy?
    Thorax. 1999 Mar;54(3):268-72 PMID: 10325905
  37. Occupational asthma in Europe and other industrialised areas: a population-based study. European Community Respiratory Health Survey Study Group.
    Lancet. 1999 May 22;353(9166):1750-4 PMID: 10347988
  38. Variable airway responsiveness to inhaled lipopolysaccharide.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999 Jul;160(1):297-303 PMID: 10390415
  39. Compartmentalization of the inflammatory response to inhaled grain dust.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1999 Oct;160(4):1309-18 PMID: 10508823
  40. The role of bacterial endotoxins in occupational diseases caused by inhaling vegetable dusts.
    Br J Ind Med. 1961 Apr;18:120-9 PMID: 13734460
  41. ENDOTOXIN ACTIVITY OF A HOUSE DUST EXTRACT.
    J Allergy. 1964 Mar-Apr;35:134-42 PMID: 14129660
  42. (1-->3)-beta-D-glucan and endotoxin in house dust and peak flow variability in children.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000 Oct;162(4 Pt 1):1348-54 PMID: 11029343
  43. Animals and allergy.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 2000 Feb;30(2):153-7 PMID: 10651764
  44. Reduced risk of hay fever and asthma among children of farmers.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 2000 Feb;30(2):187-93 PMID: 10651770
  45. Austrian children living on a farm have less hay fever, asthma and allergic sensitization.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 2000 Feb;30(2):194-200 PMID: 10651771
  46. Farm environment in childhood prevents the development of allergies.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 2000 Feb;30(2):201-8 PMID: 10651772
  47. Airborne endotoxin exposure and the development of airway antigen-specific allergic responses.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 2000 Mar;30(3):426-32 PMID: 10691903
  48. Modification of the inflammatory response to allergen challenge after exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharide.
    Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2000 May;22(5):604-12 PMID: 10783133
  49. Relative scarcity of asthma and atopy among rural adolescents raised on a farm.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000 May;161(5):1563-6 PMID: 10806155
  50. Lung status in young Danish rurals: the effect of farming exposure on asthma-like symptoms and lung function.
    Eur Respir J. 1999 Jan;13(1):31-7 PMID: 10836319
  51. Health-based selection for asthma, but not for chronic bronchitis, in pig farmers: an evidence-based hypothesis.
    Eur Respir J. 1999 Jan;13(1):187-9 PMID: 10836346
  52. Relation between house-dust endotoxin exposure, type 1 T-cell development, and allergen sensitisation in infants at high risk of asthma.
    Lancet. 2000 May 13;355(9216):1680-3 PMID: 10905243
  53. Exposure to endotoxin or other bacterial components might protect against the development of atopy.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 2000 Sep;30(9):1230-4 PMID: 10971468
  54. Perinatal events in relation to sensitization in the human.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2000 Sep;162(3 Pt 2):S105-7 PMID: 10988162
  55. Levels of environmental endotoxin and prevalence of atopic disease.
    JAMA. 2000 Oct 4;284(13):1652-3 PMID: 11015794
  56. Longitudinal study of dust and airborne endotoxin in the home.
    Environ Health Perspect. 2000 Nov;108(11):1023-8 PMID: 11102291
  57. House dust endotoxin and wheeze in the first year of life.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001 Feb;163(2):322-8 PMID: 11179100
  58. Longitudinal changes in pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms in cotton textile workers. A 15-yr follow-up study.
    Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001 Mar;163(4):847-53 PMID: 11282755
  59. Healthy subjects express differences in clinical responses to inhaled lipopolysaccharide that are related with inflammation and with atopy.
    J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2001 May;107(5):797-804 PMID: 11344345
  60. Having lived on a farm and protection against allergic diseases in Australia.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 2001 Apr;31(4):570-5 PMID: 11359424
  61. Asthma and indoor environment in Nepal.
    Thorax. 2001 Jun;56(6):477-81 PMID: 11359965
  62. Smoking patterns by occupation, industry, sex, and race.
    Arch Environ Health. 1978 Nov-Dec;33(6):313-7 PMID: 736615
  63. Bacterial endotoxins and host immune responses.
    Adv Immunol. 1979;28:293-450 PMID: 396770
  64. Bronchial obstructive reactions after inhalation with endotoxin and precipitinogens of Haemophilus influenzae in patients with chronic non-specific lung disease.
    Clin Allergy. 1982 Nov;12(6):547-59 PMID: 6817943
  65. Cotton dust and endotoxin exposure-response relationships in cotton textile workers.
    Am Rev Respir Dis. 1987 Jan;135(1):194-200 PMID: 3800146
  66. Inhaled endotoxin and decreased spirometric values. An exposure-response relation for cotton dust.
    N Engl J Med. 1987 Sep 3;317(10):605-10 PMID: 3614274
  67. Predominance of mite allergy over allergy to pollens and animal danders in a farming population.
    Clin Allergy. 1987 Sep;17(5):417-23 PMID: 3499998
  68. Smoking habits of 800,000 American men and women in relation to their occupations.
    Am J Ind Med. 1988;13(1):43-58 PMID: 3257844
  69. Respiratory symptoms in arable farmworkers: role of storage mites.
    Thorax. 1988 Sep;43(9):697-702 PMID: 3194876
  70. Environmental and health studies of farm workers in Swedish swine confinement buildings.
    Br J Ind Med. 1989 Jan;46(1):31-7 PMID: 2920141
  71. Effect of inhaled endotoxin on bronchial reactivity in asthmatic and normal subjects.
    J Appl Physiol (1985). 1989 Mar;66(3):1059-64 PMID: 2708231
  72. Hay fever, hygiene, and household size.
    BMJ. 1989 Nov 18;299(6710):1259-60 PMID: 2513902
  73. Health effects of exposure to endotoxins and organic dust in poultry slaughter-house workers.
    Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1990;62(2):159-64 PMID: 2323833
  74. The prevalence of allergy in Danish farmers.
    Allergy. 1990 Jul;45(5):347-53 PMID: 2378438
  75. CD14, a receptor for complexes of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and LPS binding protein.
    Science. 1990 Sep 21;249(4975):1431-3 PMID: 1698311
  76. Occupation and smoking adjusted mortality due to asthma among Swedish men.
    Br J Ind Med. 1991 May;48(5):323-6 PMID: 2039744
  77. Relationship of airborne endotoxin and bacteria levels in pig farms with the lung function and respiratory symptoms of farmers.
    Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 1991;62(8):595-601 PMID: 1856016
  78. Domestic endotoxin exposure and clinical severity of asthma.
    Clin Exp Allergy. 1991 Jul;21(4):441-8 PMID: 1913267
Article Info
Journal
Thorax
Abbr.
Thorax
ISSN
0040-6376
DOI
10.1136/thorax.57.1.86
Email
[email protected]
Published
2002-01-00
Pages
86-90
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
0417353
PMCID
PMC1746164
Subset
IM
Corrections
CommentIn
PMID: 12511732
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1136/thorax.57.1.86 PMC Full Text View journal details
Analysis Services
Analysis Services

Contact

No. 2 Wenbo Road, Zhangqiu District, Jinan, Shandong

Qilu Normal University · Genelibs Bioinformatics Lab

750 Shunhua Rd, Jinan

2F, Bldg F, University Science Park

Tel: 0531-88819269

WeChat Official Account

Follow our WeChat subscription account for real-time updates and the latest in medical and biological research.


Business Email

E-mail: [email protected]

Copyright © 2026.Genelibs Jinan Honghui Biotechnology Co., Ltd. 鲁ICP备20007159号-2