Occupational inhalant allergy in food handling occupations. 2022

Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
Occupational Medicine Division and Centre for Environmental & Occupational Health Research, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town.

Review article on recent developments on inhalant food allergens associated with occupational respiratory allergy and asthma. This review has found that occupational inhalant allergy in food handling occupations is a common and recognisable clinical entity (class 3 food allergy) in high-risk food occupations such as bakeries and seafood processing. Aerosolised food proteins from plant or animal food sources, additives and biological food contaminants cause occupational sensitization, rhinitis and asthma. The risk of allergy may be enhanced across the food value chain as a result of food processing techniques including the introduction of new food allergens in the food matrix. Occupational food allergy and asthma can be prevented by improved health-based exposure standards, workplace control measures, education and training activities, and early diagnosis accompanied with exposure reduction. Future studies need to focus on exposure-response studies to establish improved exposure limits especially for flour dust, the relevance of cooked vs raw foods in influencing risk, identifying and characterising major inhalant food allergens accompanied with component resolved diagnostic approaches, and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions for common high-risk food sensitizers causing occupational rhinitis and asthma.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009784 Occupational Diseases Diseases caused by factors involved in one's employment. Diseases, Occupational,Occupational Illnesses,Disease, Occupational,Illnesse, Occupational,Illnesses, Occupational,Occupational Disease,Occupational Illnesse
D009790 Occupations Crafts, trades, professions, or other means of earning a living. Vocations,Occupation,Vocation
D005511 Food Handling Any aspect of the operations in the preparation, processing, transport, storage, packaging, wrapping, exposure for sale, service, or delivery of food. Food Processing,Handling, Food,Processing, Food
D005512 Food Hypersensitivity Gastrointestinal disturbances, skin eruptions, or shock due to allergic reactions to allergens in food. Allergy, Food,Food Allergy,Hypersensitivity, Food,Allergies, Food,Food Allergies,Food Hypersensitivities,Hypersensitivities, Food
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000485 Allergens Antigen-type substances that produce immediate hypersensitivity (HYPERSENSITIVITY, IMMEDIATE). Allergen
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001249 Asthma A form of bronchial disorder with three distinct components: airway hyper-responsiveness (RESPIRATORY HYPERSENSITIVITY), airway INFLAMMATION, and intermittent AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION. It is characterized by spasmodic contraction of airway smooth muscle, WHEEZING, and dyspnea (DYSPNEA, PAROXYSMAL). Asthma, Bronchial,Bronchial Asthma,Asthmas
D012220 Rhinitis Inflammation of the NASAL MUCOSA, the mucous membrane lining the NASAL CAVITIES. Nasal Catarrh,Catarrh, Nasal,Catarrhs, Nasal,Nasal Catarrhs,Rhinitides
D016273 Occupational Exposure The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents that occurs as a result of one's occupation. Exposure, Occupational,Exposures, Occupational,Occupational Exposures

Related Publications

Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
January 1990, Clinical reviews in allergy,
Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
April 1990, European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology,
Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
January 1986, Clinical allergy,
Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
December 1988, Annals of allergy,
Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
January 2021, Dermatologic therapy,
Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
June 2019, Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology,
Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
January 2010, International archives of allergy and immunology,
Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
February 2007, Der Hautarzt; Zeitschrift fur Dermatologie, Venerologie, und verwandte Gebiete,
Mohamed F Jeebhay, and Roslynn Baatjies
September 2010, Current allergy and asthma reports,
Copied contents to your clipboard!