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Hoffmann, R. A wiki for the life sciences where authorship matters. Nature Genetics (2008)
 
 
 

Microbial exposure of rural school children, as assessed by levels of N-acetyl-muramic acid in mattress dust, and its association with respiratory health.

BACKGROUND: Endotoxin exposure has been shown to be associated with a decreased prevalence of atopic sensitization and symptoms. Yet endotoxin represents only a part of the indoor microbial exposure. Muramic acid, a constituent of peptidoglycan, is present in gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria in the environment and may therefore serve as an additional marker of microbial exposure. OBJECTIVE: To study the factors determining the level of indoor exposure to muramic acid/peptidoglycan, as well as its potential association with respiratory health. METHODS: In 553 farm and nonfarm school children from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, mattress dust muramic acid concentrations were determined, and health was assessed by using IgE measurements and questionnaire information. RESULTS: The muramic acid concentration was found to be significantly higher in dust from farm children's mattresses than in dust from nonfarm children's mattresses (157 vs 131 ng/mg). Children with higher mattress dust muramic acid concentrations had a significantly lower prevalence of wheezing (odds ratio of highest vs lowest tertile of muramic acid concentration, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.9), regardless of farming status and endotoxin exposure. The association for asthma was similar, and no association was found with atopic sensitization. CONCLUSION: Next to endotoxin, muramic acid provides us with an independent marker of microbial exposure. Unlike endotoxin, muramic acid was inversely associated with wheezing rather than with atopic sensitization.[1]

References

  1. Microbial exposure of rural school children, as assessed by levels of N-acetyl-muramic acid in mattress dust, and its association with respiratory health. van Strien, R.T., Engel, R., Holst, O., Bufe, A., Eder, W., Waser, M., Braun-Fahrländer, C., Riedler, J., Nowak, D., von Mutius, E. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. (2004) [Pubmed]
 
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