The Dutch diagnostic model for laboratory animal allergen sensitization was generalizable in Canadian apprentices.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the transportability of an existing diagnostic questionnaire model for the sensitization to laboratory animal (LA) allergens.


METHODS
The model was externally validated in 414 Canadian animal health apprentices. Several approaches were used: (1) no adjustment; (2) recalibration of the intercept of the model; (3) re-estimation of the intercept and the regression coefficients of predictors; and (4) model revision, by excluding the existing predictor(s) and/or including new predictor(s). The bootstrapping procedure was done following the third and fourth methods. The calibration was assessed graphically and with the Hosmer-Lemeshow (HL) test. Discriminative properties were determined by the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC area).


RESULTS
When applied without adjustment, the model's discriminative ability was adequate (ROC area was 0.74 vs. the original ROC area of 0.76); the calibration was poor (HL test P<0.001). The other methods yielded models with good calibration (P>0.10) and reasonable discrimination (ROC area ranged between 0.73 and 0.75). The refitted and revised model showed a good internal validity (correction factor from the bootstrapping procedure was more than 0.90).


CONCLUSIONS
Once updated, the diagnostic model is valid and can be applied with reasonable performance in an animal health apprentice setting.
Suarthana
Eva
E
Department of Chest Medicine, Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, Canada.
Meijer
Evert
E
Heederik
Dick
D
Ghezzo
Heberto
H
Malo
Jean-Luc
JL
Gautrin
Denyse
D
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D017750:Animal Technicians; D000818:Animals; D000830:Animals, Laboratory; D002138:Calibration; D002170:Canada; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D009426:Netherlands; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012372:ROC Curve; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018634:Veterinarians; D055815:Young Adult
D000485:Allergens