Cat and Dog Exposure and Respiratory Morbidities in Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

Objective To understand the triggers that may impact respiratory health in cystic fibrosis (CF), including the effects of pets, because environmental factors contribute to one-half of the variation in lung function in patients with CF. Study design A total of 703 subjects with CF were recruited through the U.S. CF Twin-Sibling Study. Questionnaires were used to determine the presence/absence of cats and dogs in households with a child with CF. Questionnaires, chart review, and U.S. CF Foundation Patient Registry data were used to track respiratory and infection outcomes. Results Within the sample 47% of subjects reported owning a dog, and 28% reported owning a cat. After adjustment for demographic factors, dog ownership was not associated with any adverse clinical outcomes, and cat ownership was associated an increased risk in developing nasal polyps (adjusted OR 1.66; p=0.024) compared with non-cat owners. Subjects who owned both cats and dogs were twice as likely to report wheezing compared with other subjects (adjusted OR: 2.01; p=0.009). There were no differences in prevalence and age of acquisition for the common CF respiratory pathogens Pseudomonas aeruginosa and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus between cat/dog owners and non-cat/dog owners. Conclusions Cat ownership was associated with a higher frequency of developing nasal polyps and combined cat-dog ownership was associated with a higher rate of wheezing. Prospective studies are needed to confirm these associations and the potential psychosocial benefits of cat and/or dog ownership.

Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis is associated with pet ownership in cystic fibrosis

“…The worst progression of all lung function parameters was found in patients with ABPA even surpassing the effect of chronic P. aeruginosa infection (p < 0.0001). Interestingly, ABPA was not found as a factor being associated with dog or cat exposure in a recent multicenter sibling CF study . An explanation for this could be that the CF population analyzed there was younger (mean age 11.8 ± 8.8) than the CF population in this study (mean age 25.4 ± 13.2).…”

“…Recent data indicate that pet ownership is an environmental factor influencing the health of patients with CF. This includes case reports on pathogen transmission from pet to patients with CF and vice versa and a multicenter sibling study on the association of pet ownership with infection outcomes in these patients . Previous results from our group confirm transmission of various pathogens between pet and patients with CF, among them A. fumigatus .…”

Pre-natal and post-natal exposure to pet ownership and lung function in children: The Seven Northeastern Cities Study

“…Although studies have focused on bronchial hyper‐responsiveness (BHR) or specific airway resistance (sRaw) assessed by challenge tests, few have specifically focused on FEV 1 , FVC, and their ratio along with PEF. Most of these studies, including cross‐sectional and birth cohort study designs, found no associations for living with pets and the risk of respiratory or allergic conditions . However, in a cohort study, Bertelsen et al .…”

Frequent Pet Contact as Risk Factor for Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis in Cystic Fibrosis

“…Case reports describe interspecies transmission of bacteria between cats/dogs and CF patients (Ner et al, 2003;Mohan et al, 2008;Register et al, 2012). Morrow et al investigated cat and dog exposure in 703 CF patients (Morrow et al, 2014): 47.2% reported dog, and 28.1% reported cat ownership (Morrow et al, 2014). Combined cat-dog ownership was associated with wheezing, but no differences in lung function, self-reported environmental allergies, or ABPA were reported (Morrow et al, 2014).…”