Environmental measures and healthcare service utilization against laboratory animal allergy in Korean laboratory animal researchers
10.4168/aard.2023.11.1.18
- Author:
Sung-Yoon KANG
1
;
Ha-Kyeong WON
;
So-Young PARK
;
Sang Min LEE
;
Sang Pyo LEE
Author Information
1. Division of Pulmonology and Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea
- Publication Type:ORIGINAL ARTICLE
- From:Allergy, Asthma & Respiratory Disease
2023;11(1):18-25
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Purpose:This study aimed to evaluate the environmental measures and healthcare service utilization against laboratory animal allergy (LAA) in Korea.
Methods:A total of 213 subjects who attended the 2018 Korean Association for Laboratory Animal Science Annual Symposium were enrolled in the study. The participants were given questionnaires on work practice controls, environmental measures, and healthcare service utilization for LAA, and underwent skin prick tests with mouse and rat epithelial allergens. Those parameters were compared between the LAA and non-LAA groups.
Results:The LAA group more frequently minimized the time of exposure to all laboratory animals, frequency of exposure to allergic laboratory animals, and exposure time to allergic laboratory animals than the non-LAA group (22.9% vs. 8.4%, P < 0.003; 12.9% vs. 2.1%, P = 0.001; 14.3% vs. 1.4%, P < 0.001, respectively). However, in the LAA group, wet preparation before shaving was performed less frequently (10.0% vs. 21.7%, P< 0.025), so was animal handling permission only at LAA-preventing facilities (2.9% vs. 11.9%, P < 0.030). Over 30% of the LAA group was referred to the physicians. Meanwhile, about half of them did not use any healthcare service for LAA.
Conclusion:Korean laboratory researchers with LAA tried to reduce exposure to allergic laboratory animals. However, they missed some potentially critical points, with half of them not using healthcare services for LAA. Further efforts are warranted to focus on the nationwide surveillance, prevention, and control for LAA in Korea.
