title: Cat and dog exposure and respiratory morbidities in cystic fibrosis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To understand the triggers that may impact respiratory health in cystic fibrosis (CF), including the effects of pets, because environmental factors contribute to one-half of the variation in lung function in patients with CF.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 703 subjects with CF were recruited through the US CF Twin-Sibling Study. Questionnaires were used to determine the presence/absence of cats and dogs in households with a child with CF. Questionnaires, chart review, and US CF Foundation Patient Registry data were used to track respiratory and infection outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within the sample, 47% of subjects reported owning a dog, and 28% reported owning a cat. After adjustment for demographic factors, dog ownership was not associated with any adverse clinical outcomes, and cat ownership was associated an increased risk in developing nasal polyps (aOR 1.66; P = .024) compared with noncat owners. Subjects who owned both cats and dogs were twice as likely to report wheezing compared with other subjects (aOR: 2.01; P = .009). There were no differences in prevalence and age of acquisition for the common CF respiratory pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus between cat/dog owners and noncat/dog owners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cat ownership was associated with a greater frequency of developing nasal polyps and combined cat-dog ownership was associated with a greater rate of wheezing. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these associations and the potential psychosocial benefits of cat and/or dog ownership.
authors.affiliation: Eudowood Division of Pediatric Respiratory Sciences, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetic Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Karen S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Raraigh
authors.affiliation: Eudowood Division of Pediatric Respiratory Sciences, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Deanna M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, The Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Scott M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Blackman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetic Medicine, Baltimore, MD.
authors.forename: Garry R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Cutting
authors.affiliation: Eudowood Division of Pediatric Respiratory Sciences, Baltimore, MD. Electronic address: mcollac1@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Collaco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D057805:Pets; D015995:Prevalence; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa; D012042:Registries; D012119:Respiration; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012307:Risk Factors; D035781:Siblings; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult