AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Exposure to Endotoxin in a Cohort of Pregnant Women and Their Children
Javier Ustariz, HECTOR JORQUERA, Arturo Borzutzky, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
Abstract Number: 721 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract Endotoxin is a lipopolysaccharide component of the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria, associated with pro-inflammatory responses in the respiratory system. Endotoxin has been linked to allergies and asthma both in children and adults. In urban environments, indoor concentrations of endotoxins tend to be higher than outdoor ones, owing to inefficient ventilation and presence of indoor sources.
Endotoxin in house dust is a good indicator of long-term indoor exposure. This cohort study aims to determine prenatal and perinatal conditions, as well as other biological and environmental factors that may contribute to the risk of developing allergic diseases and/or asthma in the offspring, and might provide enough information on the subjects to prevent it or treat it in the future.
We have started to recruit a cohort of 250 pregnant women in Santiago, Chile. Two periods for household sampling have been set, between weeks 24-30 of the pregnancy and between weeks 14-20 after childbirth. Indoor dust has been sampled using an Indoor-Biotechnologies DustreamTM Collector. Endotoxin has been be quantified by using the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate Kinetic-QCL test kit (LAL Kinetic-QCL). Other indoor parameters monitored are humidity, CO2, CO, NO2 and O3 for 5-8 days within the aforementioned periods. To assess perinatal outdoor exposure to ambient air pollution, we will collect data from the monitoring station closest to the family's home for the whole study period.
House dust collection and indoor air quality monitoring began in January 2019. The first baby of the cohort was born in February 2019. Preliminary results of this cohort study will be presented for endotoxin and indoor pollutants; for the latter, comparison with ambient air quality monitoring will also be discussed.