Endotoxin,extracellular polysaccharides,and β(1‐3)‐glucan concentrations in dust and their determinants in four European birth cohorts: results from the HITEA project |
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| Authors: | L. Casas C. Tischer I. M. Wouters M. Valkonen U. Gehring G. Doekes M. Torrent J. Pekkanen R. Garcia‐Esteban A. Hyvärinen J. Heinrich J. Sunyer |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), , Barcelona, Spain;2. Municipal Institute of Medical Research (IMIM), , Barcelona, Spain;3. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), , Madrid, Spain;4. Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Centre for Environmental Health, Institute of Epidemiology I, , Neuherberg, Germany;5. Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, , Utrecht, the Netherlands;6. Department Environmental Health, National Institute for Health and Welfare, , Kuopio, Finland;7. Area de Salud de Menorca, IB‐SALUT, , Menorca, Spain;8. Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, , Kuopio, Finland;9. University Pompeu Fabra, , Barcelona, Spain |
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| Abstract: | Early‐life exposure to microbial agents may play a protective role in asthma and allergies development. Geographical differences in the prevalence of these diseases exist, but the differences in early‐life indoor microbial agent levels and their determinants have been hardly studied. We aimed to describe the early‐life levels of endotoxin, extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), and β(1‐3)‐glucans in living room dust of four geographically spread European birth cohorts (LISA in Germany, PIAMA in the Netherlands, INMA in Spain, and LUKAS2 in Finland) and to assess their determinants. A total of 1572 dust samples from living rooms of participants were analyzed for endotoxin, Penicillium/Aspergillus EPS, and β(1‐3)‐glucans. Information on potential determinants was obtained through questionnaires. Concentrations of endotoxin, EPS, and β(1‐3)‐glucans were different across cohorts. Concentrations of endotoxin and EPS were respectively lower and higher in INMA than in other cohorts, while glucans were higher in LUKAS2. Season of sampling, dog ownership, dampness, and the number of people living at home were significantly associated with concentrations of at least one microbial agent, with heterogeneity of effect estimates of the determinants across cohorts. In conclusion, both early‐life microbial exposure levels and exposure determinants differ across cohorts derived from diverse European countries. |
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| Keywords: | Endotoxin Extracellular polysaccharide β (1‐3)‐Glucan Cohort studies Indoor Microbial agents |
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