Neurologic Symptoms Associated With Cattle Farming in the Agricultural Health Study

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Occup Environ Med
• Personal Author:
  Vegosen, Leora ; Davis, Meghan F. ; Silbergeld, Ellen ; Breysse, Patrick N. ; Agnew, Jacqueline ; Gray, Gregory ; Freeman, Laura Beane ; Kamel, Freya
• Description:
  Objective
  
  Infection with Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium carried by poultry and livestock, is the most frequently identified antecedent to the autoimmune neurologic condition Guillain-Barré Syndrome. We used Agricultural Health Study data to assess whether cattle farming was associated with prevalence of neurologic symptoms.
  
  Methods
  
  Prevalence of self-reported symptoms in cattle farmers (n = 8878) was compared with farmers who did not work with animals (n = 7462), using multivariate regression.
  
  Results
  
  Prevalence of numbness and weakness were increased for beef and dairy farmers compared with the reference group (P < 0.0001). Of cattle farmers, 48% did not report raising other animal species, and prevalence of numbness and weakness were also increased in this subgroup compared with the reference group (P < 0.02).
  
  Conclusions
  
  Occupational exposure to cattle was associated with increased prevalence of self-reported symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Agricultural Workers' Diseases Animal Husbandry Animals Article Cattle Cohort Studies Female Humans Incidence Iowa Male Middle Aged Multivariate Analysis North Carolina Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Peripheral Nervous System Diseases Prevalence Self Report

  More +
• Source:
  J Occup Environ Med. 2012; 54(10):1253-1258
• Pubmed ID:
  22975665
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC3671876
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  Z01 CP010119/ImNIH/Intramural NIH HHSUnited States/ ; Z01 ES049030/ImNIH/Intramural NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T42OH008428/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States/ ; Z01 ES049030-11/ImNIH/Intramural NIH HHSUnited States/ ; T42OH008428/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; Z01-CP010119/CP/NCI NIH HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  54
• Issue:
  10
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:a7d859a4f0b08cf71d47538ef0ac1f438bfbee3bf57a496216b771780881d171
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/33576/cdc_33576_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 56.95 KB ]