AEROBIOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF OCCUPATIONAL RESPIRATORY ALLERGY IN AGRICULTURE IN THE UK

Asthma and allergic alveolitis account for about one third of the tota l number (2000 plus) of cases of work-related respiratory disease repo rted annually in the U.K. The majority of cases of occupational asthma are caused by chemical agents, but a significant number of the remain der result from inhalation of biological agents, such as those encount ered in agriculture. A wide range of activities can result in exposure to organic dusts and associated microorganisms. These include handlin g mouldy hay and grains, fruit and vegetables, processing wastes, incl uding compost making for mushroom growing and tending animals in confi ned facilities. To determine the incidence of occupational respiratory allergy in agriculture, to study aetiology and risk factors and, ulti mately, to establish dose response relationships, requires input from a wide range of disciplines including clinicians, immunologists, micro biologists and aerobiologists. The link between what a farm worker bre athes in and development of disease needs to be established. This pape r reviews the role of microorganisms in the aetiology of disease with examples of typical exposures in agriculture and outlines the role tha t aerobiology can play in risk assessment.