ABSTRACT

A number of agents in agricultural environments have been shown to give rise to asthma-like syndromes. The term ‘‘asthma-like syndrome’’ has been used to describe an acute nonallergic airway response arising from inhalation of various agents in the agricultural environment characterized by symptoms of chest tightness, wheeze, and/or dyspnea, which may or may not be associated with cross-shift decline in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) (usually less than 10%), which is dose related, and evidence of acute neutrophilic airway inflammation. As symptoms may occur on first exposure and specific antigens and antibodies have not been identified, the syndrome is likely to be an inflammatory response to exposure and not an allergic reaction.