Hog Farm Dust and respiratory illness in farm workers

PI: Carresse Gerald, North Carolina Central University

ABSTRACT
Background: Swine production is a $22.5 billion per year industry in the United States.Hog production is vital to North Carolina’s economy; it represents over $2.9 billion annually. Many agriculture workers and farmers exhibit respiratory illnesses including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and chronic bronchitis. These occupational exposures have been studied for decades but the focus has been on the inflammatory pathways involved in hog barn dust mediated respiratory conditions. A recent study has provided evidence that catalase activity is increased with hog barn dust exposure in airway cells. The transcription factor responsible for the expression of catalase and other antioxidants is Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-related factor 2, nrf2. It is unknown if nrf2 is responsible in this hog barn dust mediated catalase activity. The gap in this knowledge is necessary in order to provide insight to potential therapeutic targets. It is hypothesized that hog farm dust increases nrf2, and downstream antioxidants catalase and hemeoxygenase 1.