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Endotoxin and β(1→3)‐Glucan in House Dust and the Relation with Home Characteristics: A Pilot Study in 25 German Houses
Author(s) -
Douwes Jeroen,
Doekes Gert,
Heinrich Joachim,
Koch Andrea,
Bischof Wolfgang,
Brunekreef Bert
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0668.1998.00006.x
Subject(s) - bedroom , living room , relative humidity , toxicology , environmental science , zoology , dust mites , food science , veterinary medicine , biology , medicine , geography , meteorology , allergy , immunology , allergen , archaeology , architectural engineering , engineering
Residential microbial exposure has been suggested to be involved in the development of asthma. This paper describes bacterial endotoxin and mold β(1→3)‐glucan levels in house dust and the relationship to selected home characteristics. Dust was sampled from mattresses and living room and bedroom floors of 25 houses in Germany. Endotoxin and β(1→3)‐glucan levels ranged from 200‐48,600 EU/g dust (100‐32,900 EU/m 2 sampled surface) and 182‐3,507 μg/g (157‐3,652 μg/m 2 ), respectively. Bio‐contaminant levels were highest on living room floors and lowest in mattresses. Dust, endotoxin and β(1→3)‐glucan levels were 2–3 times higher on living room floors of centrally heated houses built after 1970 compared to older individually heated houses. This was not found for mattresses and bedroom floors. No associations between biocontaminant levels and other selected home characteristics (temperature, relative humidity, damp spots and insulation of windows) were found. β(1→3)‐glucan levels were associated with total culturable fungi (per m 2 ) in house dust, as well as with the fungal genus Alternaria (per g dust and per m 2 ). In conclusion endotoxin and β(1→3)‐glucan were readily detectable in house dust and significantly associated with heating system and/or age of the home.