Ann. occup. Hyg., Vol. 44, No. 6, pp. 427-433, 2000
© 2000 British Occupational Hygiene Society
Published by Oxford University Press
Comparison of Four Methods to Assess Fungal 
-amylase in Flour Dust
,*
Department of Occupational Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital Göteborg, Sweden
Berufsgenossenschaftliches Forschungsinstitut für Arbeitsmedizin, Ruhr-Universität Bochum Bochum, Germany
Environmental and Occupational Health Group, Wageningen University Wageningen, The Netherlands
|| Asthma and Allergy Centre, Sahlgrenska University Hospital Göteborg, Sweden
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel.: +46-31-335-4800; Fax: +46-31-40-97-28.
The aim of the study was to compare four different immunological methods to analyse fungal 
-amylase in flour dust samples. Three European research groups have independently developed four immuno assay based methods to measure -amylase in air samples. Three of the methods use polyclonal antibodies and one method uses monoclonal antibodies. Eighty personal samples have been collected during two to three work-shifts in four bakeries. Sampling was performed with PAS-6 inhalable dust samplers and aliquots from each sample were analysed by the three laboratories. The agreement between the four methods was high compared with agreement between immunological methods to measure other allergens in the air, e.g. for rat allergens. For the three methods with polyclonal antibodies the mean differences for individual samples was less than a factor of two. The arithmetic means (AM) of the estimated -amylase exposure were 12.5, 11.3, 8.6 and 25.9 ng/m3 for the respective methods with values ranging from below the detection limit to 192, 215, 207 and 615 ng/m3. The AM for all samples analysed by the methods with polyclonal antibodies varied by about a factor of 1.5. About one-third of the values were below or at the detection limit for all methods. In a regression analysis the squared correlation coefficients (R2) between the methods varied between 0.91 and 0.95 for the log transformed values. For workplace monitoring, results from the methods using polyclonal antibodies will be relatively comparable. High levels of -amylase might differ in absolute numbers with a factor of two or more between the different methods but will anyway be considered as high and should result in preventive actions. On the other hand, this study also shows that despite the relative agreement between methods, there is a clear need for standardization. © 2000 British Occupational Hygiene Society. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
fungal -amylase • flour dust • immunological methods • monoclonal antibodies and polyclonal antibodies
Received July 22, 1999; in final form December 2, 1999
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  L. LUNDGREN, L. SKARE, C. LIDeN, and G. TORNLING Large Organic Aerosols in a Dynamic and Continuous Whole-Body Exposure Chamber Tested on Humans and on a Heated Mannequin Ann. Hyg., October 1, 2006; 50(7): 705 - 715. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. ELMS, E. ROBINSON, H. MASON, S. IQBAL, A. GARROD, and G. S. EVANS Enzyme exposure in the British baking industry Ann. Hyg., June 1, 2006; 50(4): 379 - 384. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. F. JEEBHAY, T. G. ROBINS, N. SEIXAS, R. BAATJIES, D. A. GEORGE, E. RUSFORD, S. B. LEHRER, and A. L. LOPATA Environmental Exposure Characterization of Fish Processing Workers Ann. Hyg., July 1, 2005; 49(5): 423 - 437. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. HEEDERIK, P. S. THORNE, and G. DOEKES Health-based Occupational Exposure Limits for High Molecular Weight Sensitizers: How Long is the Road We Must Travel? Ann. Hyg., July 1, 2002; 46(5): 439 - 446. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|