Journal article
Industrial hog farming is associated with altered circulating immunological markers
Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England), Vol.75(3), pp.212-217
03/2018
DOI: 10.1136/oemed-2017-104519
PMCID: PMC5841451
PMID: 29055885
Abstract
The previously observed inverse association between hog farming and risk of lung cancer in the Agricultural Health Study (AHS) has been attributed to endotoxin exposure, the levels of which are particularly high in industrial hog confinement facilities. We conducted an investigation to explore the potential biological mechanisms underlying this association, as well as other immunological changes associated with hog farming.
Serum immune marker levels were measured using a multiplexed bead-based assay in 61 active hog farmers and 61 controls matched on age, phlebotomy date and raising cattle. Both groups comprised non-smoking male AHS participants from Iowa. We compared natural log-transformed marker levels between hog farmers and controls using multivariate linear regression models.
Circulating levels of macrophage-derived chemokine (CCL22), a chemokine previously implicated in lung carcinogenesis, were reduced among hog farmers (17% decrease; 95% CI -28% to -4%), in particular for those with the largest operations (>6000 hogs: 26% decrease; 95% CI -39% to -10%; p
=0.002). We also found that hog farmers had elevated levels of other immune markers, including macrophage inflammatory protein-3 alpha (MIP-3A/CCL20; 111% increase, 95% CI 19% to 273%), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2; 93% increase, 95% CI 10% to 240%) and soluble interleukin-4 receptor (12% increase, 95% CI 1% to 25%), with particularly strong associations for MIP-3A/CCL20 and FGF-2 in winter.
These results provide insights into potential immunomodulatory mechanisms through which endotoxin or other exposures associated with hog farming may influence lung cancer risk, and warrant further investigation with more detailed bioaerosol exposure assessment.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Industrial hog farming is associated with altered circulating immunological markers
- Creators
- Jonathan N Hofmann - Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USAMeredith S Shiels - Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USAMelissa C Friesen - Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USATroy J Kemp - HPV Immunology Laboratory, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Leidos Biomedical Research, Frederick, Maryland, USAAnil K Chaturvedi - Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USACharles F Lynch - Department of Epidemiology, University of Iowa, Iowa, USAChristine G Parks - Department of Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USALigia A Pinto - Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer ResearchAllan Hildesheim - Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USAMichael C R Alavanja - Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USALaura E Beane Freeman - Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England), Vol.75(3), pp.212-217
- DOI
- 10.1136/oemed-2017-104519
- PMID
- 29055885
- PMCID
- PMC5841451
- NLM abbreviation
- Occup Environ Med
- ISSN
- 1470-7926
- eISSN
- 1470-7926
- Publisher
- England
- Grant note
- P30 ES005605 / NIEHS NIH HHS Z01 CP010119 / Intramural NIH HHS ZIA ES049030-20 / Intramural NIH HHS ZIA CP010119-21 / Intramural NIH HHS P30 CA086862 / NCI NIH HHS Z01 ES049030 / Intramural NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/2018
- Academic Unit
- Epidemiology
- Record Identifier
- 9983995171102771
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