A pilot study to assess residential endotoxin and blood IgE in a group of pregnant women from Trujillo, Peru

Objective: This November 2003 pilot study investigates the correlation between serum IgE and residential endotoxin levels from a group of 18 pregnant women living in Trujillo, Peru, and investigates the impact of the demographic and lifestyle factors of this group on the IgE and endotoxin levels measured. Methods: Serum samples were collected from 19 subjects and analyzed for IgE. Dust samples were collected from the mattresses of 18 subjects and measured for endotoxin levels. A questionnaire was used to obtain demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle information for each subject. Results: Geometric means for IgE and endotoxin were 246.8 (GSD = 4.3, n = 19) IU/mL and 66.5 EU/mg (GSD = 1.7, n = 18), respectively. Log-transformed IgE and endotoxin were not correlated (R² = 0.02; p = 0.60). Conclusions: Residential endotoxin and serum IgE were not correlated in this group. Potential selection bias and sample size are major limitations of the study. However, 74% (14/19) of the subjects in this study had an IgE over 100 IU/mL, a level generally considered elevated.