Pet exposure and delivery mode can influence total IgE levels

January 01, 0001

Pet exposure and delivery mode can influence total IgE levels

The presence of pets in a home during the prenatal period and during early infancy has been associated with a lower prevalence of allergic sensitization and total IgE levels in middle childhood. No studies have examined the effect of pet exposure in a population-based cohort by using multiple early-life measures of serum total IgE. The researchers from the US sought to examine within- individual longitudinal trends in total IgE levels during early childhood and assess the effect of indoor prenatal pet exposure on those trends. They analyzed 1187 infants with 1 to 4 measurements of total IgE collected from birth to 2 years of age.

The best-fit shape to the trajectory of IgE levels was nonlinear, with an accelerated increase before 6 months. Total IgE levels were lower across the entire early-life period when there was prenatal indoor pet exposure (significant). This effect was statistically significantly stronger in children delivered by means of cesarean section versus those delivered vaginally and in those born to non-African American versus African American mothers.

The researchers concluded: "Pet exposure and delivery mode might be markers of infant exposure to distinct microbiomes. The effect of exposures might vary by race, suggesting a differential effect by ancestry."

Worth watching, but nothing to change behaviour over.

For the full abstract, click here.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology published online 08 August 2011 © 2011 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Effect of prenatal indoor pet exposure on the trajectory of total IgE levels in early childhood. Suzanne Havstad, Ganesa Wegienka and Edward M. Zoratti. Correspondence to Suzanne Havstad: [email protected]

Category: Keywords: total IgE, cohort, longitudinal, multilevel model, population- based study, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by , Melbourne,. Posted on Global Family Doctor 2 September 2011

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