MEASUREMENT OF EXPOSURE TO MOUSE URINARY PROTEINS IN AN EPIDEMIOLOGIC-STUDY

Objectives-To develop an assay to measure airborne mouse urinary prote in (MUP) and to assess the occupational exposure to MUP in the workfor ce of three establishments as part of an epidemiological study examini ng the influence of aeroallergen exposure on the development of allerg ic respiratory disease. Methods-Personal air samples were collected fr om nine exposure groups during a workshift. A sensitive and reproducib le competitive inhibition assay, which used rabbit antisera specific f or MUP, was developed and used to measure the occupational exposure to MUP. Results-The personal measurements of MUP showed that people with direct contact with mice (animal technicians) had the highest exposur e followed in decreasing order by those working with anaesthetised ani mals or their tissue (postmortem workers and scientists) and those wit h indirect contact with mice (supervisors, office workers, and slide p roduction workers). The only difference in concentrations of MUP betwe en the three establishments were found for cage cleaners, which reflec ted differences in working practises for this exposure category. Air s amples collected during the performance of specific tasks showed that high exposures to MUP were associated with handling mice, indirect con tact with mice, and washing floors. Conclusions-Exposure to mouse urin ary proteins has been measured in the occupational environment. This i nformation can be used to determine the relation between exposure to M UP and the development of allergic and respiratory disease.