PUBLICATION
An Integrative Evaluation Method for the Biological Safety of Down and Feather Materials
- Authors
- Kawada, T., Kuroyanagi, J., Okazaki, F., Taniguchi, M., Nakayama, H., Suda, N., Abiko, S., Kaneco, S., Nishimura, N., Shimada, Y.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-190326-1
- Date
- 2019
- Source
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20(6): (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Keywords
- allergy, bedding, clothes, environment, microbiome, pollution
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Bacteria/genetics
- Biological Assay*/methods
- Feathers*/microbiology
- Humans
- Microbiota
- Safety*
- Toxicity Tests
- PubMed
- 30901881 Full text @ Int. J. Mol. Sci.
Citation
Kawada, T., Kuroyanagi, J., Okazaki, F., Taniguchi, M., Nakayama, H., Suda, N., Abiko, S., Kaneco, S., Nishimura, N., Shimada, Y. (2019) An Integrative Evaluation Method for the Biological Safety of Down and Feather Materials. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 20(6).
Abstract
Background Down and feather materials have been commonly used and promoted as natural stuffing for warm clothing and bedding. These materials tend to become more allergenic as they become contaminated with microorganisms, in addition to being subjected to several kinds of chemical treatments. The biological or chemical contaminants in these materials pose a major risk to human health, to consumers and manufacturers alike. Here, we report the development of an integrative evaluation method for down and feather materials to assess bacterial contamination and in vivo toxicity.
Methods To assess bacterial contamination, we quantified 16S ribosomal RNA, performed culture tests, and established a conversion formula. To determine in vivo toxicity, we performed a zebrafish embryo toxicity testing (ZFET).
Results Washing the material appropriately decreases the actual number of bacteria in the down and feather samples; in addition, after washing, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the bacterial compositions were similar to those in rinse water. The ZFET results showed that even materials with low bacterial contamination showed high toxicity or high teratogenicity, probably because of the presence of unknown chemical additives.
Conclusions We established an integrative evaluation method for down and feather safety, based on bacterial contamination with in vivo toxicity testing.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping