Influence of Residential Fungal Contamination on Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte Populations in Children

Reported residential fungal contamination has been associated consistently with increased symptoms among occupants; however, an objective measure of a health effect is lacking, and a pathophysiologic mechanism has not been established. Our objective was to determine if exposure to indoor fungal cont...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of environmental health 1998-05, Vol.53 (3), p.190-195
Main Authors: Dales, Robert, Miller, David, White, Jim, Dulberg, Corinne, Lazarovits, Andrew I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air Microbiology
Air Pollution, Indoor - adverse effects
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
CD4-CD8 Ratio
Child
Female
Flow Cytometry
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Fungi - immunology
Humans
Immunoglobulin E - blood
Lymphocyte Activation - immunology
Lymphocyte Count
Male
Microbiology
Ontario
Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains
T-Lymphocyte Subsets - immunology
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Summary:Reported residential fungal contamination has been associated consistently with increased symptoms among occupants; however, an objective measure of a health effect is lacking, and a pathophysiologic mechanism has not been established. Our objective was to determine if exposure to indoor fungal contamination influenced T-cell differentiation. In this study, we contrasted lymphocyte populations, measured by flow cytometry, between a group of children who lived in homes with considerable fungal contamination (n = 39) and a group in less-contaminated homes (n = 20). Indicators of fungal biomass were viable fungi in house dust and air ergosterol in the child's bedroom. Living in a more-contaminated home versus a less-contaminated home was associated with a larger number of CD3 + T cells expressing CD45RO (1.5 × 10 9 /l versus 1.1 × 10 9 /l, respectively; p = .05, two-tailed t testing) and a reduced CD4/CD8 ratio (1.6 versus 1.8, respectively; p = .04). The differences persisted over a 12-mo period, and they were not explained by the child's age or total serum IgE, dust mite antigens, and the presence of furry or feathered pets or a humidifier. The results suggest that residential fungal contamination leads to chronic stimulation of children's lymphocytes.
ISSN:0003-9896
2331-4303
DOI:10.1080/00039899809605694