Previous studies of mouse allergens and laboratory-animal-worker-related allergy and asthma suggest that quantifying mouse allergen levels in homes could augment our understanding of inner-city asthma. We hypothesized that levels of mouse allergen in inner-city homes would be related to certain household characteristics. Dust samples were collected from the kitchens and beds of 221 mothers enrolled in a prospective birth cohort study, 92 of African American and 129 of Dominican ethnicity. Samples were analyzed for mouse urinary protein. The geometric mean for kitchen samples was 4.6 micro g/g [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 3.2-6.5] and for bed samples was 0.9 micro g/g (95% CI, 0.8-1.1). The variables associated with mouse allergen levels in the home were frequency of mouse sightings, use of traps or pesticides for mice, presence of holes in ceilings or walls, absence of a cat, and living in a building with fewer than eight floors. Statistically significant neighborhood differences in levels of mouse allergen and report of rodents in the home were also observed. In conclusion, mouse allergen was prevalent among inner-city apartments, and the positive predictive value of self-reported frequent mouse sightings was high (90% for kitchens). However, high levels of mouse allergen were also found in many homes where mothers reported never seeing mice.
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机译：先前对小鼠过敏原以及与实验室动物工作者相关的过敏和哮喘的研究表明，量化家中的小鼠过敏原水平可以增进我们对城市哮喘的理解。我们假设在城市中心家庭中的小鼠过敏原水平可能与某些家庭特征有关。从参加一项前瞻性出生队列研究的221名母亲的厨房和床上收集了灰尘样品，其中92名是非洲裔美国人，而129名是多米尼加族裔。分析样品中的小鼠尿蛋白。厨房样品的几何平均值为4.6 micro g / g [95％置信区间（95％CI），3.2-6.5]，床样品的几何平均值为0.9 micro g / g（95％CI，0.8-1.1）。与家中的鼠标过敏原水平相关的变量包括：发现鼠标的频率，使用鼠标的诱捕器或杀虫剂，天花板或墙壁上有孔，没有猫以及居住在不到八层的建筑物中。还观察到小鼠过敏原水平和家中啮齿动物报告的统计学上显着的邻域差异。总之，老鼠过敏原在市区公寓中很普遍，自我报告的频繁发现老鼠的阳性预测价值很高（厨房为90％）。但是，在许多母亲报告从未见过老鼠的家庭中，也发现了高水平的老鼠过敏原。
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