ABSTRACT
The investigation of occupational asthma requires the detection of both viable and nonviable allergen-bearing particles. Detection of defined allergens can be achieved only through immunoassay of samples collected, for example, by filtration, impingement, or electrostatic precipitation. High-volume filtration samplers yielded less allergens than large-volume Litton-type electrostatic samplers which collected into liquid. This chapter reviews the methods used to collect and detect microorganisms and antigens on other kinds of particles and describes recent work on the development of methods for recovering and identifying allergens and antigens. The aerobiological study of occupational lung disease has been primarily concerned with microbial antigens, for instance, the roles of the actinomycetes Saccharopolyspora reciivirgula and Thermoactinomyces spp. The Reuter Centrifugal Sampler (RCS) is convenient to use and extremely portable. Determination of the causes of outbreaks of occupational asthma requires the detection of relevant allergens in the environment and identification of their sources.
