title: [Respiratory symptoms and specific IgE in workers on a maize farm].
abstract: A questionnaire concerning respiratory symptoms was completed for 101 workers on a maize farm; 73 railway workers were used as a control group. Symptoms suggestive of allergy were found in 90% of the farm workers compared with only 4% of the control group. However, total IgE levels of the farm workers were not significantly raised and only 40% had positive radio-allergosorbent tests against specific allergens. Smoking seemed neither to reduce nor enhance symptoms. Fungal spores and bacteria in the vicinity were sampled and identified; no evidence of an allergic response to these agents was found. Mechanisms other than allergy must be considered responsible for the farm workers' symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department Interne Geneeskunde, Universiteit van die Oranje-Vrystaat, Bloemfontein.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: van Niekerk
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Weich
mesh_terms: D000382:Agricultural Workers' Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D005658:Fungi / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis*; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011852:Radioallergosorbent Test; D011890:Railroads; D012130:Respiratory Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D013019:South Africa; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E
vernacular_title: Respiratoriese simptome en spesifieke IgE onder werkers op 'n mielieplaas.