Indoor bioaerosols and asthma: Overview, implications, and mitigation strategies

Karen C Dannemiller; Laura A Conrad; Sarah R Haines; Yvonne J Huang; Linsey C Marr; Jeffrey A Siegel; Sumaiya Hassan; Jon C King; Aaron J Prussin 2nd; Austin Shamblin; Matthew S Perzanowski

doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2024.11.027

Indoor bioaerosols and asthma: Overview, implications, and mitigation strategies

J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024 Nov 27:S0091-6749(24)01279-X. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.11.027. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Sustainability Institute, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Electronic address: Dannemiller.70@osu.edu.
² Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York.
³ Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario.
⁴ Department of Medicine (Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
⁵ Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
⁶ Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering, College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Environmental Science Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
⁷ Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Infectious Diseases Institute Genomic and Microbiology Solutions (IDI-GEMS), The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
⁸ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY.

PMID: 39613110
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2024.11.027

Abstract

Aerosolized particles with a biological origin are called bioaerosols. Bioaerosols from plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and viruses are an important class of environmental exposures that are clinically relevant to asthma. However, there are important differences in the pathways by which various bioaerosols affect asthma. Additionally, differences in individual susceptibility to different bioaerosols affect exposure reduction and mitigation strategies. Strategies to reduce exposures to potential triggers of asthma are routinely considered as part of standard clinical care and asthma management guidelines. Ventilation standards in buildings may reduce bioaerosol exposure for everyone, but they are not necessarily designed specifically to protect patients with asthma. Direct measurement of a bioaerosol is not generally necessary for practical applications where the relevant source of the bioaerosol has been identified. Different types of bioaerosols can be controlled with similar strategies that prioritize source control (eg, reducing resuspension, integrated pest management, controlling moisture), and these can be supplemented by enhancing air filtration. The goal of this review is to summarize the latest information on bioaerosols, including allergens, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, that have been associated with adverse asthma outcomes and to discuss mitigation options.

Keywords: Allergic sensitization; cat; dog; moisture; mold; particulate matter; pests; pet; respiratory illness; ventilation.

Publication types

Review