Allergy Asthma Immunol Res.  2009 Oct;1(1):45-47. 10.4168/aair.2009.1.1.45.

Occupational asthma caused by inhalation of bovine serum albumin powder

• Choi GS
• Kim JH
• Lee HN
• Sung JM
• Lee JW
• Park HS

• KMID: 2133799
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2009.1.1.45

Abstract

Bovine serum albumin (BSA), which is present in bovine plasma, is one of the major allergens affecting patients with food allergies induced by milk and meat. It is also commonly used in research laboratories. Although some reports have documented food allergies associated with BSA, BSA-induced occupational asthma has not been reported. We report a case of occupational asthma and rhinitis in a laboratory worker caused by the inhalation of BSA powder, in which an IgE-mediated response was suggested as the pathogenic mechanism.

Keyword

occupational asthma; bovine serum albumin (BSA); milk allergy

MeSH Terms

Allergens
Asthma, Occupational
Food Hypersensitivity
Humans
Inhalation
Meat
Milk
Milk Hypersensitivity
Plasma
Rhinitis
Serum Albumin, Bovine
Allergens
Serum Albumin, Bovine

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 (A) Specific IgE binding to BSA based on ELISA with serum from the patient (•) and unexposed healthy controls (◦). Horizontal bars indicate the positive cutoff value determined from the mean±3 SD of the absorbance value of normal controls. (B) IgE-ELISA inhibition results for BSA-coated wells with the serial additions of BSA (•), milk (◦), and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (Dpt, ▵) extracts. The patient had a high level of specific IgE to BSA and showed significant BSA IgE-ELISA inhibition with the addition of BSA and milk extracts in a dose-dependent manner, while minimal inhibition to Dpt antigen was noted.

• 

  Fig. 2 IgE-immunoblot analysis of BSA and milk in serum from the sensitized patient (P) and non-atopic control (N). A 66 kDa IgE-binding BSA band was detected from both BSA and milk extracts. a, BSA; b, Milk

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