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4092897 
Journal Article 
Indoor Mold And The Risk Of Wheeze In The First Year Of Life For Infants At Risk For Asthma 
Rosenbaum, PF; Hargrave, TM; Abraham, JL; Crawford, JA; Hunt, A; Liu, CC; Hall, G; Anagnost, SE; Catranis, CM; Fernando, AA; Et al 
2005 
Yes 
American Journal of Epidemiology
ISSN: 0002-9262
EISSN: 1476-6256 
DART/TER/5001322 
161 
11 Suppl 
English 
The role of bioaerosols in the development of medically diagnosed wheeze was assessed in 103 inner-city infants as part of the Assessment of Urban Dwellings for Indoor Toxics Study and the Accurate Exposure Assessment of Bioaerosols in Indoor Environment Program. Infants born between 6/01-9/02 to mothers with diagnosed asthma were followed quarterly for the first year of life. Environmental sampling included measurement of total viable fungi and bacteria. Colony forming units/m3 (CFU) were calculated from plate counts, with identification on microscopic examination. Unconditional logistic regression was used to model the associations of total CFUs, and the genera Aspergillus (ASP) or Penicillium (PEN) on ever wheeze with control for season of birth (winter, spring, summer, fall), gender, insurance (private/Medicaid) and mother's age at birth (years). ASP and PEN CFUs were categorized as non-detectable (reference), low-medium ( and gt; detection limit and and lt; 75th percentile) and high ( and gt;=75th percentile). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Results indicated that 45% of the infants were male, 50% were nonwhite and 82% were on Medicaid. Mean maternal age (standard deviation) was 25.4 (5.8) years; 71% were unmarried. Total CFUs were not associated with wheeze. While ASP was significantly associated with wheeze in bivariate models, the adjusted OR (95% CI) was 1.48 (0.49-4.45) for low-medium and 1.88 (0.56-6.31) for high exposure when modeled with demographics and birth season. High PEN remained significantly associated with wheeze in all models; the adjusted OR (95% CI) for low-medium exposure was 1.72 (0.50-5.88) while for high, it was 5.99 (1.46-24.66). These findings demonstrate the importance of modeling each genus when assessing the association of airborne mold with wheeze.