Læknablaðið - 15.11.2008, Page 15

FRÆÐIGREINAR
RANNSÓKNIR
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GuðmundssonG, Sigurðarson SÞ, Tómasson K, Gíslason D, Hallas T
House Dust Mites at lcelandic Farms
Background: Sensitization to Dermatophagoides
pteronyssinus (D. pteronyssinus) occurs in 9% of the
Reykjavik population, despite the fact that no Der p
1 antigen has been found in the area. A recent study
revealed that sensitized persons more often had a
childhood history of work or holiday stay in rural areas
than controls. As a follow up we studied the risk of
exposure to mites in farmland dwellings.
Methods: In a survey of work-related lung disorders
among farmers in the south and west of lceland, 80
samples of house dust, representing 42 farms, were
collected from bedroom mattresses and the floors in living
rooms and examined for mites. Treatment of samples was
identical with the method used earlier in the Reykjavik
investigation (ECRHS II).
Results: In contrast to the Reykjavik results, dust
from farm dwellings showed a large diversity of mites.
Seventeen taxons were found, with Acarus siro and D.
pteronyssinus in 13 and 8 farms respectively, but the
samples did not show signs that any of the taxons actually
had lived or reproduced where they were collected.
Conclusion: The finding of D. pteronyssinus in farmland
dwellings provides a possible explanation of why some
Reykjavik citizens might have developed sensitization
to this mite, even though cross sensitization to other
species of mites could give a false positive reaction to
D. pteronyssinus in at least some of those cases. Our
observations did not support the idea that the mites
were living in the dwellings and an explanation for their
occurrence must be sought in the outdoor environment.
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Key words: Farming, House dust, Exposure, Allergy, Mites, lceland.
Correspondence: Gunnar Guðmundsson, ggudmund@landspitali.is
Barst: 2. ágúst 2008, - samþykkt til birtingar: 13. október 2008.
LÆKNAblaðið 2008/94 727