Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec;41(4):777-796.
doi: 10.1016/j.ccm.2020.08.005.

Indoor Microbial Exposures and Chronic Lung Disease: From Microbial Toxins to the Microbiome

Molly Wolf  1 , Peggy S Lai  2
Affiliations
Review

Indoor Microbial Exposures and Chronic Lung Disease: From Microbial Toxins to the Microbiome

Molly Wolf et al. Clin Chest Med. 2020 Dec.

Abstract

Effects of environmental microbial exposures on human health have long been of interest. Microbes were historically assumed to be harmful, but data have suggested that microbial exposures can modulate the immune system. We focus on the effects of indoor environmental microbial exposure on chronic lung diseases. We found contradictory data in bacterial studies using endotoxin as a surrogate for bacterial exposure. Contradictory data also exist in studies of fungal exposure. Many factors may modulate the effect of environmental microbial exposures on lung health, including coexposures. Future studies need to clarify which method of assessing environmental microbial exposures is most relevant.

Keywords: Asthma; Bacteria; Built environment; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Endotoxin; Fungus; Microbiome.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure ▪

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Braun-Fahrlander C, et al., Environmental exposure to endotoxin and its relation to asthma in school-age children. N Engl J Med, 2002. 347(12): p. 869–77. - PubMed
    1. Campo P, et al., Influence of dog ownership and high endotoxin on wheezing and atopy during infancy. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2006. 118(6): p. 1271–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Carlsten C, et al., Association between endotoxin and mite allergen exposure with asthma and specific sensitization at age 7 in high-risk children. Pediatr Allergy Immunol, 2011. 22(3): p. 320–6. - PubMed
    1. Douwes J, et al., Does early indoor microbial exposure reduce the risk of asthma? The Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy birth cohort study. J Allergy Clin Immunol, 2006. 117(5): p. 1067–73. - PubMed
    1. El-Sharif N, et al., Childhood asthma and indoor aeroallergens and endotoxin in Palestine: a case-control study. J Asthma, 2006. 43(3): p. 241–7. - PubMed