Laboratory animal allergy (LAA) is an

occupational disease An occupational disease is any chronic ailment that occurs as a result of work or occupational activity. It is an aspect of occupational safety and health. An occupational disease is typically identified when it is shown that it is more prevale ...

laboratory animal Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and ''in vivo'' testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments that seek to control the variables that affect the behavior or biological system under study. This ...

technicians and scientists. It manifests as an allergic response to animal urine, specifically the

major urinary proteins Major urinary proteins (Mups), also known as α2u-globulins, are a subfamily of proteins found in abundance in the urine and other secretions of many animals. Mups provide a small range of identifying information about the donor animal, when dete ...

(Mups) of rodents, and can lead to the development of

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, co ...

. A study of 5641 workers in Japan who were exposed to laboratory animals found 23.1% had one or more allergic symptoms; globally the prevalence among at risk workers is estimated between 11 and 30% According to the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

, prevention of animal allergy depends on the control of allergens in the work environment. This involves a combination of measures to eliminate or control allergen exposure, including

engineering controls Engineering controls are strategies designed to protect workers from hazardous conditions by placing a barrier between the worker and the hazard or by removing a hazardous substance through air ventilation. Engineering controls involve a physi ...

administrative controls Administrative controls are training, procedure, policy, or shift designs that lessen the threat of a hazard to an individual. Administrative controls typically change the behavior of people (e.g., factory workers) rather than removing the actu ...

, and

personal protective equipment Personal protective equipment (PPE) is protective clothing, helmets, goggles, or other garments or equipment designed to protect the wearer's body from injury or infection. The hazards addressed by protective equipment include physical, e ...

.''The National Institutes of Health Laboratory Animal Allergy Prevention Program'

/ref> The protein product of the mouse ''Mup17'' gene, known as ''Mus m 1'', ''Ag1'' or ''MA1'', accounts for much of the allergenic properties of mouse urine. Similarly, the product of the rat ''Mup13'' gene, ''Rat n 1'', is also a potent human

allergen An allergen is a type of antigen that produces an abnormally vigorous immune response in which the immune system fights off a perceived threat that would otherwise be harmless to the body. Such reactions are called allergies. In technical terms ...

. One study found that two-thirds of laboratory workers who had developed asthmatic reactions to animals had antibodies to Rat n 1.

Notes

{{Occupational safety and health Occupational diseases Animal testing Allergology