Concentrations of specific dusts in swineries and the humoral response of swinery workers.

The concentrations of swine epithelial antigen (SEA), swine urinary antigen (SUA) and swine feed antigen (SFA) were measured in swineries. SEA seems to be the most prevalent of the constituents measured. In the serum samples of the subjects studied, specific IgG antibodies against the antigens were frequently encountered. However, a difference was seen in the distribution of anti-SUA-IgG antibodies between swinery workers and a control group of students. The influence of the level of specific dust concentrations on specific antibody titers was studied statistically. Positive correlations were observed between stationary site SUA concentrations and anti-SUA-IgG and anti-SEA-IgG titers, respectively, pointing to an association between exposure and humoral response in swinery work. Consequently, our results suggest that the measurement of antibodies against SUA or its components could offer a basis for the estimation of the level of swinery work-related respiratory exposure and for monitoring the quality of the working environment in swineries.