[Bacterial endotoxins produced by Alcaligenes faecalis and Erwinia herbicola as potential occupational hazards for agricultural workers].

Laboratory animals (guinea pigs and rabbits) were exposed to the inhalation of aerosolized endotoxins derived from the cell mass of Alcaligenes faecalis and Erwinia herbicola, the Gram-negative bacteria commonly occurring in organic dusts. Single 1 hour-lasting exposure caused the significant increase in the number of free lung cell, mostly lymphocytes, compared to the control group exposed to saline (P < 0.001). Prolonged exposure to tested endotoxins (Fifteen 1 hour-lasting exposures every second day) caused both specific and non specific immunological changes: enhanced inhibition of leukocyte migration production of precipitins, and activation of alveolar macrophages, wes assessed by greater antibacterial activity and increased interleukin I (IL-I) production. The results indicate that the endotoxins of examined bacteria represent a potential risk of inflammatory lung reaction and respiratory disease for agricultural workers inhaling organic dusts contaminated with these organisms.