Bacteria and fungi in organic dust as potential health hazard

People engaged in agriculture, waste collection and other professions are exposed to large quantities of bioaerosols associated with organic dusts, ranging from 10-10 cfu/m. These bioaerosols are composed of Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria, Gram-positive, non-branching bacteria (corynebacteria, cocci and endospore-forming bacilli), actinomycetes and fungi (moulds and yeasts). Endotoxin produced by Gramnegative bacteria causes non-specific, inflammatory reaction in the lungs of exposed people, while thermophilic actinomycetes and moulds are a common cause of allergy. So far only little is known about health effects of Gram-positive bacteria, which in many cases form a dominant fraction of dust-borne bioaerosols. Address for correspondence: Jacek Dutkiewicz, Department of Aerobiology and Allergology, Institute of Agricultural Medicine, P.O.Box 185, 20-950 Lublin, Poland. E-mail: dutkiewi@galen.imw.lublin.pl

[1]  A Rask-Andersen,et al.  Natural and adaptive immune reactions to inhaled microorganisms in the lungs of farmers. , 1988, Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health.

[2]  R. Burrell.  Immunotoxic reactions in the agricultural environment , 1995 .

[3]  B. Nielsen,et al.  Bioaerosol exposure in collecting garden waste, recyclable materials and waste for incineration , 1996 .

[4]  Benjamin Bach,et al.  Occupational Health Problems Due To Garbage Sorting , 1992 .

[5]  W. Eduard.  Assessment of mould spore exposure and relations to symptoms in wood trimmers , 1993 .

[6]  J. Dutkiewicz,et al.  Bioaerosols and occupational lung disease , 1994 .

[7]  J. Lacey.  Airborne health hazards from agricultural materials. , 1989 .

[8]  R Rylander,et al.  Levels of gram-negative bacteria, Aspergillus fumigatus, dust, and endotoxin at compost plants , 1983, Applied and environmental microbiology.

[9]  OCCUPATIONAL BIOAEROSOL EXPOSURE DURING COLLECTION OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE , 1995 .

[10]  B. Crook,et al.  Fungal and actinomycete spores as pollutants of the workplace and occupational allergens. , 1988, The Annals of occupational hygiene.

[11]  R Rylander,et al.  The role of endotoxin for reactions after exposure to cotton dust. , 1987, American journal of industrial medicine.

[12]  Bacterially contaminated oil mists in engineering works: a possible respiratory hazard , 1991 .

[13]  J. Dutkiewicz,et al.  Methods for Examining the Microflora of Mouldy Hay , 1976 .

[14]  R. Rylander,et al.  Prevalence of byssinosis in Swedish cotton mills. , 1981, British journal of industrial medicine.

[15]  J. Dutkiewicz.  Exposure to dust-borne bacteria in agriculture. I. Environmental studies. , 1978, Archives of environmental health.

[16]  Shigenori Tanaka,et al.  Airborne Beta-1,3-Glucan May Be Related to Symptoms in Sick Buildings , 1992 .

[17]  R. Rylander,et al.  Airborne endotoxins and humidifier disease , 1984, Clinical allergy.

[18]  B. Crook,et al.  Enumeration of airborne micro‐organisms in work environments , 1988 .

[19]  W. G. Sorenson,et al.  Health Impact of Mycotoxins in the Home and Workplace: An Overview , 1989 .