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Results for “FARMER'S LUNG”

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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1981

Raised enzyme markers of chronic inflammation in asymptomatic farmers' lung.

Subclinical inflammatory activity may be one of the factors which influences the variable natural history of farmers' lung. Serum lysozyme (LYS) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) have been measured in 52 farmers with a previous history of farmers' lung and in 51 healthy control farmers. The group with farmers' lung assessed during the winter, although having had no recent acute symptoms, had significantly higher levels of LYS and ACE compared to both healthy control farmers seen in winter and farmers' lung subjects seen in summer. There was a mild but significant negative correlation between LYS and farm size in the farmers' lung subjects assessed in winter. The results suggest that active inflammation may be present in subjects with farmers' lung in the absence of acute symptoms during the season when dust exposure occurs as the result of feeding cattle.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Microbiological and serological studies of farmers' lung in Finland.

Sera from few Finnish patients with clinical farmers' lung react in precipitin tests with extracts of the thermophilic actinomycetes that commonly cause the disease elsewhere. Hays associated with the disease in Finland showed less evidence of spontaneous heating and contained fewer actinomycete spores than British hays. Only Thermoactinomyces vulgaris was sometimes abundant. Some species of mesophilic fungi were more abundant than in Britain and one, Aspergillus umbrosus, reacted with most sera from farmers' lung patients in precipitin tests. A panel of antigens, including thermophilic actinomycetes, A. umbrosus and other species of the Aspergillus glaucus group, is recommended for screening farmers' lung sera.

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG antibodies in farmers' lung disease.

The ELISA was used for detection of specific IgG antibodies to Micropolyspora faeni antigens in 158 farmers with a history of exposure to mouldy hay, eighty-eight of whom had a diagnosis of farmer's lung. The farmers' lung group had significantly higher values in the ELISA than both the seventy exposed but asymptomatic farmers (P less than 0.001) and a group of thirty-one adult controls (P less than 0.001). The asymptomatic farmers also had significantly higher values than the control group (P less than 0.02). The ELISA correlated better with the clinical diagnosis than the Ouchterlony agar-gel double-diffusion (precipitin) test. None of the control group gave positive reactions in the ELISA or the precipitin tests. The ELISA is therefore a sensitive, specific and quantitative test which is readily available and widely applicable.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Bronchoalveolar lavage in farmers' lung disease: diagnostic and physiological significance.

A group of 92 farmers had clinical evaluation, pulmonary function tests, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). There were 12 patients with acute farmers' lung disease (FLD) (group 1) and 37 farmers who had had acute FLD, of whom 22 were still on their farm (group 2) and 15 had ceased contact (group 3); others were normal dairy farmers, 23 serology positive to Micropolyspora faeni (group 4), 20 serology negative (group 5), and 42 normal controls (group 6). Of the 134 subjects, 59 had an increase in alveolar lymphocytes (greater than 22% lymphocytes in BAL) (12 in group 1, 19 in group 2, six in group 3, 14 in group 4, five in group 5, and three in group 6). Within each group there was no correlation between BAL lymphocytes (% and absolute number) and most pulmonary function tests. It is concluded that although an increase in BAL lymphocytes is always seen in acute FLD it may also be seen in the absence of clinically evident disease and that BAL lymphocytosis does not correlate with physiological changes in FLD.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1993

Activation of blood neutrophils in acute episodes of farmer's lung.

Farmer's lung often presents clinically as recurring acute episodes several hours after exposure to moldy hay. During these episodes the blood neutrophil count increases. Because activated neutrophils release toxic oxygen metabolites and proteinases, we hypothesized that the pulmonary reaction in farmer's lung may be induced by the secretory products of activated neutrophils. To evaluate this concept, we quantified the respiratory burst of separated blood neutrophils from patients with farmer's lung (n = 12) during standardized exposure tests with moldy hay. The respiratory burst of these cells was evaluated by measuring zymosan-stimulated and lucigenin-amplified chemiluminescence (CL). Asymptomatic farmers (n = 12) and normal volunteers with no prior exposure to moldy hay (n = 15) were used as control subjects. As expected, following exposure in the group of patients with farmer's lung, striking changes in VC, TLCO, and PaO2 were observed, whereas there were only minor changes in these parameters in both control groups. In all three groups a considerable increase in the blood leukocyte count was observed. The CL response of the blood neutrophils from patients with farmer's lung 6 h after exposure was significantly higher than before or 1 h after exposure (p < 0.05 for both comparisons), whereas there was no significant change in the CL response in either control group during the observation period. Our results indicate that antigen inhalation induces an increase in the number of circulating neutrophils in patients and controls, but in patients with an acute episode of farmer's lung the neutrophils are primed for an enhanced respiratory burst and may thereby damage the lung.

Acridines↗
PubMed1980

Antibodies to Aspergillus fumigatus in farmers' lung patients measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure antibodies against Aspergillus fumigatus in farmers' lung patients, various other pulmonary diseases and healthy controls. Both the prevalence and the mean titre of antibodies were significantly higher in farmers' lung patients than in the other groups. There was no difference between controls and patients with bronchial asthma or non-allergic pulmonary diseases. On the other hand, in the group of patients with respiratory diseases of undefined aetiology the mean antibody titre was significantly higher than that of the controls. Comparison of ELISA and the precipitin test showed the higher sensitivity of ELISA, but otherwise the two tests were in a close agreement.

Antibodies, Fungal↗
PubMed1969

Immunofluorescence identification of Thermopolyspora polyspora, the causative agent of farmer's lung.

Farmer's lung is a serious disabling pulmonary disease found in agricultural workers. The disease is believed to be a hypersensitivity to the thermophilic actinomycetes, principally Thermopolyspora polyspora. This organism is difficult to stain with the usual bacteriological stains and thus far has not been demonstrated in the lung tissue by microscopic methods. In this paper, it is demonstrated that the fluorescent-antibody technique is a simple method for the positive identification of T. polyspora. The technique can also be used as a rapid screening test for the detection of antibodies to T. polyspora in the patient's serum. In addition, it opens up the possibility of the identification of T. polyspora in the lung tissue of patients with farmer's lung and makes available a means for the study of the immunological reaction in the lung parenchyma. No false positive or cross-reactions with Thermoactinomyces vulgaris or Streptomyces griseus could be demonstrated.

Actinomycetales↗
PubMed1981

Bronchial hyperreactivity to methacholine in farmers' lung disease.

Methacholine inhalation challenges were performed in five groups: 14 patients with history of farmers' lung disease (FLD), nine well farmers with precipitating antibodies to Micropolyspora faeni antigen, II normal subjects, 12 asthmatic patients, and 10 patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) other than hypersensitivity pneumonitis. After calculating the mean areas under the dose-response curves, FLD patients had a significantly greater degree of methacholine sensitivity than did well farmers with M. faeni antibody and normals. However, the methacholine sensitivity of FLD patients was indistinguishable from a group of patients with ILD and significantly less than the asthmatic group. Fifty percent of patients with FLD had positive methacholine challenges (greater than or equal to 20% decrease in their 1-sec forced vital capacity [FEV1] from the control FEV1). Hyperirritable airways was a common finding in FLD.

Antibodies, Fungal↗
PubMed1998

Role of interleukin-2 in the development and persistence of lymphocytic alveolitis in farmer's lung.

Farmer's lung (FL) is characterized by an intense lymphocytic alveolitis which persists after an acute episode with continuous exposure to the offending antigens. This study aimed to examine the role of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in the development and persistence of this lymphocytic alveolitis. Three groups of dairy farmers were studied: acute FL, ex-FL (past history of FL but no clinical evidence of active disease) and asymptomatic farmers (no lung disease). IL-2 was measured by enzyme immunosorbent assay and T-cell proliferation was evaluated by 3H-thymidine incorporation. Acute and ex-FL patients had more lymphocytes (p<0.01) and higher levels of IL-2 (p<0.05) in their bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) than asymptomatic farmers. BAL T-lymphocytes from acute and ex-FL patients released considerable amounts of IL-2 after stimulation with concanavalin A and showed dose-dependent proliferative responses to IL-2. IL-2 production was decreased after treatment with prednisone. Acute FL patients, but not ex-FL, had higher levels of soluble CD25 in their serum than asymptomatics (p=0.009). These results suggest that interleukin-2 may play a role in farmer's lung by providing a stimulus not only for the accumulation of lymphocytes but also for their persistence at the site of hypersensitivity reaction, and that the lung is a likely source of this cytokine in vivo.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1985

Detection of class-specific antibodies against Micropolyspora faeni antigens in farmers' lung.

Micropolyspora faeni antigens were used for specific IgA, IgG and IgM determination with an ELISA technique, and for specific IgE antibodies by means of RAST in eighteen patients with farmer's lung, in nineteen farmers with other chest conditions, and in twenty-nine controls. The farmers' lung group had significantly higher IgG antibody levels than the controls, while specific IgA levels were elevated in ten cases. Specific IgE and--except for three cases--IgM levels did not differ from the controls. In the group of farmers with other lung diseases, only three had increased levels of specific IgG antibody. The correlation (0.89) between IgG by ELISA and a complement-fixation test indicated that C activation by M. faeni antigens is mediated by IgG antibodies.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗
PubMed1981

Skin testing in farmers' lung disease.

Intradermal skin tests with a culture filtrate antigen of Micropolyspora faeni grown on a synthetic medium were performed on patients with farmers' lung disease (FLD) and well farmers with and without antibodies to a panel of FLD antigens. Seventy-five percent of the FLD patients, 79% of the well farmers with M. faeni antibody, and 5% of well farmers without M. faeni antibody had a 2+ or greater intradermal immediate skin-test reaction. Prausnitz-Küstner (P-K) reactions were positive using serum of M. faeni immediate skin test-positive FLD patients. IgG-rich fractions from a staphylococcal protein A-Sepharose column of such serum contained the sensitizing factor whereas IgG-depleted fractions did not. M. faeni-specific IgE could not be detected in serum by a polystyrene radioimmunoassay. Positive late-onset (6-hr) skin tests occurred only in FLD patients and farmers with precipitating antibody. Biopsy specimens of the 6-hr reactions revealed a generalized dermal and perivascular polymorphonuclear infiltrate with deposits of immunoglobulin and complement about blood vessels. The skin-sensitizing factor noted in FLD patients and well farmers with antibody is not disease specific. This factor appears to be associated with the IgG-rich fraction of serum, and its role in the pathogenesis of FLD is unclear.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay↗
PubMed2003

Farmer's lung.

Farmer's lung is a well known occupational disease, described many years ago; the incidence in our country is still very low. That is the reason why we find interesting to make a review of the main diagnostic procedures and to present the new data in this form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis. Other farmers' occupational induced respiratory diseases are also presented, with their similitudes and their differences from the classical farmer's lung.

Bronchial Provocation Tests↗
PubMed1984

[Value of co-immunoelectrodiffusion on cellulose acetate for the demonstration of remarkable precipitating systems in the diagnosis of farmer's lung].

Farmer's Lung is an extrinsic allergic alveolitis due to the inhalation of actinomycetes thermophiles. Micropolyspora faeni is the principal allergen implicated in this disease which is very difficult to diagnose. The authors discuss the value of immuno-electro-diffusion on cellulose acetate which is a rapid and sensitive technique for the demonstration of remarkable precipitating systems: polysaccharide and chymotrypsin arcs. This investigation enables subjects who really have the disease to be distinguished from "contact" subjects.

Chemical Precipitation↗
PubMed1976

Coeliac disease with farmers' lung.

Two patients with allergic alveolitis due to mouldy hay antigens (farmer's lung) were shown to have malabsorption due to coeliac disease. As similar associations have been found with other alveolar diseases, this association is probably not fortuitous and further population screening should be done.

Adult↗
PubMed1963

FARMERS' LUNG.

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Agricultural Workers' Diseases↗
PubMed1989

Farmers lung: a three year survey and comparison of ELISA and CIEP techniques in antibody detection.

The incidence of detection of antibodies against antigens derived from two thermophilic actinomycetes in patients clinically suspected of having Farmer's Lung was assessed. Approximately 25% of samples submitted over a three year period were found to be positive in either the ELISA test or the CIEP test for antigens derived from M. faeni and T. vulgaris. The ELISA test proved to be more sensitive than the CIEP test in the detection of antibodies directed against both organisms.

Actinomycetales↗