Farm Exposure in Early Childhood Is Associated with a Lower Risk of Severe Respiratory Illnesses

Details

• Personal Author:
  Gern JE ; Ghera P ; Keifer, Max ; Kirkhorn S ; Ludka-Gaulke T ; Seroogy C ; Waring SC
• Description:
  Environmental exposures in early life play a major role in allergic disease susceptibility. Notably, children raised on farms are at a lower risk for these diseases compared with children raised in either rural or urban nonfarm settings. Exposure to farm-related microbes during early life may enhance mechanisms of immune tolerance. Early life immune development likely influences respiratory viral infection outcomes. Low interferon responses in cord blood cells are associated with greater severity of viral illnesses and increased risk of wheezing. These results suggest that by altering immune development in early life, farm exposures might reduce the risk of both allergic diseases and respiratory illnesses in childhood. ... In summary, farming environments in Wisconsin are associated with a reduced risk for developing common childhood allergic and infectious conditions. These studies support and extend studies of traditional farming environments in Europe, and further suggest that exposure to factors related to farming may lessen susceptibility to respiratory illnesses, perhaps by promoting the development of antiviral defenses. Given the considerable morbidity caused by childhood respiratory infections and paucity of effective treatments, understanding the mechanisms of these relationships is important to direct new strategies to prevent respiratory illnesses in childhood. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Farmers Hypersensitivity Immune System Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Agricultural Industry Allergic Reactions Children Farm Workers Immune Reaction Immunology Respiratory Health Respiratory System Disorders
• ISSN:
  0091-6749
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Minnesota ; OSHA Region 5 ; Wisconsin
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  141
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064188
• Citation:
  J Allergy Clin Immunol 2018 Jan; 141(1):454-456.e4
• Email:
  cmseroogy@wisc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:7bd800c84acfdb25ad2966ffb5a176ba3565944e9ffb71ba3e347dfa8ae7795d8c72203cf13876a47cbab498ac8bbe550bcf9502648db4b1817d975db65394fb
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222694/cdc_222694_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 297.01 KB ]