MEASUREMENT OF AIRBORNE PROTEINS INVOLVED IN BAKERS ASTHMA

We have developed a competitive inhibition immunoassay to measure airb orne flour, using purified polyclonal rabbit IgG antibodies to cereal flour antigens. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophore sis (SDS-PAGE) showed different flours contained proteins of molecular weight similar to those present in air sample eluates. Western blotti ng demonstrated that the purified rabbit IgG antibodies bound to prote ins whose molecular weights are similar to human allergens. Air sample eluates obtained from a large bakery had slopes of inhibition paralle l to cereal flour when compared in the immune-inhibition assay. The as say identified airborne proteins from several flours with a detection limit of 1 mu g ml(-1). Using this immunoassay we have shown that a wi de range of airborne flour concentrations occur in flour mills and a s maller range bakeries. This assay which allows measurement of the conc entration of flour aeroallergen in the workplace will be valuable both in epidemiological studies and in examining the effectiveness of inte rventions to reduce the concentration of flour in the air.