Serum IgG and IgE antibody against aerosolised antigens from Nephrops norvegicus among seafood process workers.

Employees in a seafood factory developed high titers of serum IgE and IgG antibody to antigens from prawn (N. norvegicus) which were aerosolized during processing. Significant serum IgE antibody titers occurred only among those subjects with occupation-related respiratory symptoms, and this serological parameter may be a useful clinical adjunct in the investigation of this disease. Serum IgG antibody was detected with equal frequency and titer in symptomatic and asymptomatic workers. There was no significant correlation between either antibody class response and the individual's age or years of work exposure. Cigarette smoking, however, was positively associated with the IgE antibody response, and negatively associated with the IgG antibody response to the same inhaled antigen. Investigating the effects of smoking at the mucosal level in the lung may provide insight into how the lung processes and responds to inhaled antigens.