Acute Bronchoconstriction Induced by Cotton Dust: Dose-Related Responses to Endotoxin and Other Dust Factors

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Abstract
Healthy humans (54), selected for their acute airway responsiveness to cotton dust, had spirometric tests immediately before and after 6 h of exposure to card-generated cotton dust from 7 different cottons (of several grades and growing regions). During exposures, airborne concentrations of viable fungi and bacteria (total and gram negative), vertically elutriated gravimetric dust and vertically elutriated endotoxin were measured. Correlation between each of these 5 exposure indices and exposure-related acute changes in forced expiratory volume in 1 s showed a statistically significant relationship between all of the indices except concentration of viable fungi. Of the other 4 indices, endotoxin was the most highly correlated (r = -0.94; P < 0.00001), and gravimetric dust was the least correlated (r = -0.34; P < 0.05). The findings suggest that gram-negative endotoxin may play a major role in the acute pulmonary response to inhaled cotton dust.