Indoor fungal diversity in primary schools may differently influence allergic sensitization and asthma in children

Rufo, João Cavaleiro; Madureira, Joana; Paciência, Inês; Aguiar, Lívia; Pereira, Cristiana; Silva, Diana; Padrão, Patrícia; Moreira, Pedro; Delgado, Luís; Annesi‐Maesano, Isabella; Fernandes, Eduardo Oliveira; Teixeira, João Paulo; Moreira, André

doi:10.1111/pai.12704

Cited by 36 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The present study was conducted using the ARIA study database . Briefly, a total of 20 public primary schools located in the city of Porto, Portugal, were invited to participate in this cross‐sectional survey, corresponding to a total of 71 assessed classrooms.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of species richness in primary school surroundings on children lung function and allergic disease development

Rufo

Ribeiro

Paciência

et al. 2020

Pediatric Allergy Immunology

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Background: Primary schools represent important environments for biodiversity exposure and thus may play a crucial role on early-life immunomodulation, protecting against allergic sensitization. The aim of this study was to understand how the exposure to different levels of species richness surrounding urban primary schools may influence the development of allergic diseases and asthma in children. Methods:A species richness index (SRI), evaluating habitat diversity in terms of amphibians, birds, reptiles, and small mammals, was estimated and attributed to 20 primary schools in the city of Porto, Portugal. The SRI was measured considering a 100 m straight-line buffer around the schools. Children who attended the participating schools were invited to participate in the study, performed spirometry with bronchodilation and skin-prick tests, and had their parents fill a questionnaire concerning allergy and asthma symptoms, as well as demographic and socioeconomic data. Asthma was defined according to three distinct criteria. Results:The study results showed significant and positive associations between the exposure to species richness in schools and the forced expiratory volume at the first second (FEV 1 ) and forced vital capacity (FVC) parameters both before and after bronchodilation, independently of the asthma and atopic status. Fully adjusted models revealed that a unitary increment in the SRI was associated with an average increase of approximately 2 and 3 mL in FEV 1 and FVC, respectively. Conclusion:Species richness in school surroundings may impact lung function development in children. However, this increase in lung function was not associated with any clinically relevant protective effect on allergy and asthma development. K E Y W O R D S allergy, asthma, biodiversity, lung function, schoolchildren, school, species richness | 359 CAVALEIRO RUFO Et AL. S U PP O RTI N G I N FO R M ATI O N Additional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section. How to cite this article: Cavaleiro Rufo J, Ribeiro AI, Paciência I, Delgado L, Moreira A. The influence of species richness in primary school surroundings on children lung function and allergic disease development. Pediatr Allergy Immunol.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of species richness in primary school surroundings on children lung function and allergic disease development

Rufo

Ribeiro

Paciência

et al. 2020

Pediatric Allergy Immunology

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“…51 In a recent study, Rufo et al showed that classrooms with increased fungal diversity scores showed a significantly lower prevalence of children with atopic sensitization, but not asthma. 52 More studies are needed to evaluate the role of fungal diversity on the development of allergic diseases.…”

Section: The School Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

School Environmental Intervention Programs

Permaul

Phipatanakul

2018

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice

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Exposure to indoor allergens and pollutants plays a significant part in the development of asthma and its associated morbidity. Inner-city children with asthma are disproportionately affected by these exposures with increased asthma morbidity. Although years of previous research have linked exposures in the urban home environment with significant childhood asthma disease, many of these allergens are also present in inner-city school environments. Therefore, evaluation of the school environment of patients with asthma is also essential. School-based environmental interventions may offer benefit for this problem and has the potential to help many children with asthma at once in a cost-effective manner. It is important that environmental health researchers continue to assess which interventions are most practical and result in the greatest measurable improvements.

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“…According to the “biodiversity hypothesis,” a lower exposure to the natural environment and biodiversity may adversely affect the human microbiome and its immunomodulatory capacity 2 . This hypothesis has been demonstrated in studies either showing lower microbiota diversity in the airways of children with asthma or finding a lower prevalence of atopic disease in children living the first years of their lives surrounded by a diverse microbiological environment 2‐6 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The neighbourhood natural environment is associated with asthma in children: A birth cohort study

Rufo

Paciência

Hoffimann

et al. 2020

Allergy

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The human microbiome plays an important role in the development of allergic diseases and asthma. 1 According to the "biodiversity hypothesis," a lower exposure to the natural environment and biodiversity may adversely affect the human microbiome and its immunomodulatory capacity. 2 This hypothesis has been demonstrated in studies either showing lower microbiota diversity in the airways of children with asthma or finding a lower prevalence of atopic disease in children living the first years of their lives surrounded by a diverse microbiological environment. 2-6 The human microbiome (particularly skin and nasal microbiota) may be influenced through the exposure to different microbiota found in fauna and flora species. 7,8 Therefore, it is possible

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Indoor fungal diversity in primary schools may differently influence allergic sensitization and asthma in children

Cited by 36 publications

References 27 publications

The influence of species richness in primary school surroundings on children lung function and allergic disease development

The influence of species richness in primary school surroundings on children lung function and allergic disease development

School Environmental Intervention Programs

The neighbourhood natural environment is associated with asthma in children: A birth cohort study

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