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Chironomid midge sensitization in sewage workers: case study
Author(s) -
SELDÉN A. I.,
CALO A.,
MÖLLEBY G.,
HULTGREN O.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
medical and veterinary entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.028
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1365-2915
pISSN - 0269-283X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2915.2012.01058.x
Subject(s) - midge , biology , sensitization , sewage , zoology , ecology , toxicology , larva , immunology , environmental engineering , engineering
Non‐biting chironomid midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) may cause sensitization and allergic reactions in humans and have recently been identified as a potential health problem in Swedish municipal sewage treatment plants. To investigate, on a pilot scale, the allergenic potential of chironomids in sewage workers, all workers ( n = 8) at a sewage treatment plant and local controls ( n = 16) completed a symptom questionnaire, underwent measurement of the fraction of nitric oxide in exhaled air, spirometry, and provided serum samples for the determination of atopy status and the prevalence of specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies against Chironomus thummi ( Chi t ) using a commercial fluorescence enzyme immunoassay (FEIA). Three sewage workers (38%) but no controls (0%) were FEIA positive for C. thummi ‐specific IgE antibodies ( P < 0.05). No other health‐related findings were significantly different between the groups. The study suggested that occupational exposure to Chironomids may cause sensitization with circulating IgE‐antibodies in sewage workers.