D'Ovidio Maria Concetta, Martini Agnese, Melis Paola, Signorini Stefano
INAIL - Dipartimento Medicina del Lavoro - ex ISPESL - Monte Porzio Catone, Roma, Italy.
G Ital Med Lav Ergon. 2011 Apr-Jun;33(2):109-16.
Since 1989, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) considers the Laboratory Animal Allergy - LAA a risk for workers and in 1998 the LAA has been recognized as occupational risk in the USA. Rat and mouse are the most source of allergens, not so much for the higher power of allergy respect to the other animals, but because represent the more utilized species in the research. Most of the allergens are members of the lipocalin superfamily, small extracellular proteins represented by at least 50 proteins that mainly bind or carry small hydrophobic molecules. The recent and innovative molecular techniques, as the microarray, have allow the characterization of numerous allergens. The protein microarray gives the possibility to study of IgE profile for each individual, simultaneos analysis of a wide number of parameters concerning the allergy, giving new diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities for the allergies. In the study of occupational allergy--as LAA--the protein microarray could improve: the identification and characterization of new allergens; the individuation of susceptible workers; the study of immunological responses in exposed workers; the strategies of prevention and protection; the environmental and housing conditions. The participation, formation and information of the workers could improve the behavioural and occupational practices, the use of personal and collective protective devices in order to reduce the exposure to LAA in occupational context.
自1989年以来，美国国家职业安全与健康研究所（NIOSH）认为实验动物过敏（LAA）对工作人员构成风险，并且在1998年，LAA在美国被认定为职业风险。大鼠和小鼠是最主要的过敏原来源，并非因为它们引发过敏的能力比其他动物更强，而是因为它们是研究中使用最为广泛的物种。大多数过敏原是脂质运载蛋白超家族的成员，这是一类细胞外小分子蛋白质，至少由50种蛋白质组成，主要结合或携带小分子疏水性分子。诸如微阵列等最新的创新性分子技术，使得众多过敏原得以被鉴定。蛋白质微阵列能够针对个体研究其IgE谱，同时分析大量与过敏相关的参数，为过敏症提供了新的诊断和治疗机会。在职业性过敏（如LAA）的研究中，蛋白质微阵列能够在以下方面取得进展：新过敏原的鉴定和表征；易患过敏症工作人员的识别；对接触过敏原的工作人员免疫反应的研究；预防和保护策略；环境及饲养条件。工作人员的参与、培训及信息获取能够改善其行为和职业习惯，以及个人和集体防护设备的使用情况，从而减少职业环境中对LAA的接触。
