Laboratory animal allergy

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Laboratory animal allergy (LAA) is an occupational disease of laboratory animal technicians and scientists. [1] [2] It manifests as an allergic response to animal urine, specifically the major urinary proteins (Mups) of rodents, and can lead to the development of asthma. [3] A study of 5641 workers in Japan who were exposed to laboratory animals found 23.1% had one or more allergic symptoms; globally the prevalence among at risk workers is estimated between 11 and 30% [4] According to the National Institutes of Health, prevention of animal allergy depends on the control of allergens in the work environment. This involves a combination of measures to eliminate or control allergen exposure, including engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. [5]

An occupational disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It is an aspect of occupational safety and health. An occupational disease is typically identified when it is shown that it is more prevalent in a given body of workers than in the general population, or in other worker populations. The first such disease to be recognised, squamous-cell carcinoma of the scrotum, was identified in chimney sweep boys by Sir Percival Pott in 1775. Occupational hazards that are of a traumatic nature are not considered to be occupational diseases.

An allergic response is a hypersensitive immune reaction to a substance that normally is harmless or would not cause an immune response in everyone. An allergic response may cause harmful symptoms such as itching or inflammation or tissue injury.

Major urinary proteins Proteins found in the urine and other secretions of many animals

Major urinary proteins (Mups), also known as α2u-globulins, are a subfamily of proteins found in abundance in the urine and other secretions of many animals. Mups provide a small range of identifying information about the donor animal, when detected by the vomeronasal organ of the receiving animal. They belong to a larger family of proteins known as lipocalins. Mups are encoded by a cluster of genes, located adjacent to each other on a single stretch of DNA, that varies greatly in number between species: from at least 21 functional genes in mice to none in humans. Mup proteins form a characteristic glove shape, encompassing a ligand-binding pocket that accommodates specific small organic chemicals.

The protein product of the mouse Mup17 gene, [6] known as Mus m 1, Ag1 or MA1, [7] accounts for much of the allergenic properties of mouse urine. Similarly, the product of the rat Mup13 gene, Rat n 1, is also a potent human allergen. [3] One study found that two thirds of laboratory workers who had developed asthmatic reactions to animals had antibodies to Rat n 1. [8]

An allergen is a type of antigen that produces an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat that would otherwise be harmless to the body. Such reactions are called allergies.

Notes

  1. ↑ Gordon S, Preece R (September 2003). "Prevention of laboratory animal allergy". Occupational Medicine. 53 (6): 371–7. doi:10.1093/occmed/kqg117. PMID   14514903.
  2. ↑ Wood RA (2001). "Laboratory animal allergens". ILAR Journal. 42 (1): 12–6. doi:10.1093/ilar.42.1.12. PMID   11123185.
  3. 1 2 Lockey, Richard; Ledford, Dennis K. (2008). "Mammalian Allergens". Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy. Volume 21 of Clinical allergy and immunology. Informa Health Care. pp. 201–218. ISBN   978-1-4200-6197-0.
  4. ↑ Aoyama K, Ueda A, Manda F, Matsushita T, Ueda T, Yamauchi C (January 1992). "Allergy to laboratory animals: an epidemiological study". British Journal of Industrial Medicine. 49 (1): 41–7. doi:10.1136/oem.49.1.41. PMC   1039233  Lock-green.svg. PMID   1733454.
  5. ↑ The National Institutes of Health Laboratory Animal Allergy Prevention Program
  6. ↑ Garg LC, Narang N (1989). "Suppression of ouabain-insensitive K-ATPase activity in rabbit nephron segments during chronic hyperkalemia". Renal Physiology and Biochemistry. 12 (5–6): 295–301. doi:10.1159/000173206. PMID   2533699.
  7. ↑ Lorusso JR, Moffat S, Ohman JL (November 1986). "Immunologic and biochemical properties of the major mouse urinary allergen (Mus m 1)". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 78 (5 Pt 1): 928–37. doi:10.1016/0091-6749(86)90242-3. PMID   3097107.
  8. ↑ Platts-Mills TA, Longbottom J, Edwards J, Cockroft A, Wilkins S (March 1987). "Occupational asthma and rhinitis related to laboratory rats: serum IgG and IgE antibodies to the rat urinary allergen". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 79 (3): 505–15. doi:10.1016/0091-6749(87)90369-1. PMID   3819230.
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