Endotoxins Affecting Human Health during Agricultural Practices: An Overview

Abstract

Agricultural operations and the processing sector generate dust laden with endotoxin in the workplace. Endotoxin, a pro-inflammatory agent, has adverse effects on health, especially in the lungs, as exposure to endotoxin reduces lung function capacity. Endotoxin exposure to workers and its harmful impact on the health of agricultural workers needs to be studied in detail for future interventions to reduce exposure to endotoxin. The review can help to identify the analytical methods used to determine endotoxin exposure in agriculture. A detailed study of the research articles published in the last two decades related to agriculture and allied fields was carried out. In the agricultural sector, Pantoea agglomerans, a Gram-negative bacterium, was predominantly present. The filters were stored at a temperature of −20 °C, and E. coli 055: B5 was the predominately used standard to analyze the endotoxin. The quantitative kinetic Limulus Amebocyte Lysate test was the most common detection method for quantifying endotoxin. Control strategies to reduce endotoxin exposure are also emphasized in this review.

Keywords

• dust
• endotoxin
• lung function
• gram-negative bacteria
• health
• occupational exposure