Immune Responses of Mice and Sericulture Grainage Industrial Workers Exposed to Silk Moth Allergens

Inhalation of allergens may lead to lung diseases such as allergic rhinitis and asthma. In the present study, we investigated the immunoregulatory role of different physical forms of silk moth allergens in mice as well as in human subjects working in the sericulture grainage industry. We exposed the mice to silk moth allergens twice a week for 2 months to study the peripheral blood eosinophils and lung histology. Blood, sputum and lung biopsies of the subjects working in grainage industry were collected for detection of immunological responses. The peripheral blood eosinophil count and pulmonary inflammation, along with influx of eosinophils into the lung, increased with increase in duration of exposure in animals exposed to silk moth allergens than the controls. The associated pulmonary inflammation and the immunological responses are comparable with those detected in human subjects working in the sericulture grainage industry.