Occupational asthma related to mouse allergen exposure and rhinoconjunctivitis due to collagenase inhalation in a laboratory technician.
We describe the case of a 27-year-old patient working in a research laboratory, who developed occupational asthma to mouse proteins and presented symptoms of rhinoconjunctivitis caused by manipulation of collagenase. Specific inhalation challenge confirmed the diagnosis of occupational asthma to mouse proteins, whereas specific challenge with collagenase only evoked symptoms of rhinitis and conjunctivitis. SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis for collagenase showed that the patient's IgE antibodies bound specifically to a protein with a molecular weight of 92 kDa. Hence, this was an unusual case of double sensitization. The sensitization to collagenase presented in this report may represent a new occupational disease in technicians working in medical or research laboratories.
Muñoz
X
X
Servicio de Neumología, Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Departamento de Biología Celular, Fisiología e Inmunología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. xmunoz@vhebron.net
Gómez-Ollés
S
S
Cruz
M J
MJ
Morell
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects; D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D017364:Collagenases / Q000009:adverse effects*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017056:Medical Laboratory Personnel; D051379:Mice / Q000276:immunology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*
D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D000485:Allergens; D017364:Collagenases