Allergens and endotoxin on mothers' mattresses and total immunoglobulin E in cord blood of neonates

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Abstract
The current authors examined whether mite and cat allergen and bacterial endotoxin levels in dust of the mothers' mattresses were associated with cord blood immunoglobulin (Ig)E (CB-IgE) levels in newborns.Data from 1,332 term and normal weight neonates, from an ongoing birth cohort study, Influences of life-style related factors on the immune system and the development of allergies in childhood (LISA), with complete information on exposure to biocontaminants in mattress dust and CB-IgE were analysed.Two thirds of CB-IgE were undetectable (−1). Thus, 0.35 and 0.45 kU·L−1(4th quartile) were chosen as cut-offs. Nonparametric smoothing (generalised additive models) showed statistically significant confounder-adjusted associations between elevated CB-IgE levels (≥0.45 kU·L−1) and log-transformed exposures to cat (linear), mite (inverse u-shaped), and endotoxin (u-shaped).After adjustment for covariables, elevated CB-IgE levels (logistic regression using the 1st–4th quartiles of exposure) were positively associated with high cat-allergen exposure and medium exposure to mite allergen, but were inversely associated with exposure to endotoxin. The associations were similar, but somewhat weaker, when 0.35 kU·L−1was used as cut-off.These results, showing an association between prenatal allergen and endotoxin exposures and immunoglobulin E production, suggest that the development of foetal immune responses may be affected.