Laboratory animal allergy (LAA) is an occupational disease of laboratory animal technicians and scientists.
[1][2] It manifests as an allergic response to animal urine, specifically the major urinary proteins (Mups) of rodents, and can lead to the development of asthma.
[3] A study of 5641 workers in Japan who were exposed to laboratory animals found 23.1% had one or more allergic symptoms; globally the prevalence among at risk workers is estimated between 11 and 30% [4] According to the National Institutes of Health, prevention of animal allergy depends on the control of allergens in the work environment.
[5] The protein product of the mouse Mup17 gene,[6] known as Mus m 1, Ag1 or MA1,[7] accounts for much of the allergenic properties of mouse urine.
[3] One study found that two-thirds of laboratory workers who had developed asthmatic reactions to animals had antibodies to Rat n 1.