• Elizabeth C Matsui, Matthew Perzanowski, Roger D Peng, Robert A Wise, Susan Balcer-Whaley, Michelle Newman, Amparito Cunningham, Adnan Divjan, Mary E Bollinger, Shuyan Zhai, Ginger Chew, Rachel L Miller, and Wanda Phipatanakul.
• Division of Pediatric Allergy/Immunology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
• JAMA. 2017 Mar 14; 317 (10): 1027-1036.

ImportanceProfessionally delivered integrated pest management (IPM) interventions can reduce home mouse allergen concentrations, but whether they reduce asthma morbidity among mouse-sensitized and exposed children and adolescents is unknown.ObjectiveTo determine the effect of an IPM intervention on asthma morbidity among mouse-sensitized and exposed children and adolescents with asthma.Design, Setting, And ParticipantsRandomized clinical trial conducted in Baltimore, Maryland, and Boston, Massachusetts. Participants were mouse-sensitized and exposed children and adolescents (aged 5-17 years) with asthma randomized to receive professionally delivered IPM plus pest management education or pest management education alone. Enrollment occurred between May 2010 and August 2014; the final follow-up visit occurred on September 25, 2015.InterventionsIntegrated pest management consisted of application of rodenticide, sealing of holes that could serve as entry points for mice, trap placement, targeted cleaning, allergen-proof mattress and pillow encasements, and portable air purifiers. Infestation was assessed every 3 months, and if infestation persisted or recurred, additional treatments were delivered. All participants received pest management education, which consisted of written material and demonstration of the materials needed to set traps and seal holes.Main Outcomes And MeasuresThe primary outcome was maximal symptom days defined as the highest number of days of symptoms in the previous 2 weeks among 3 types of symptoms (days of slowed activity due to asthma; number of nights of waking with asthma symptoms; and days of coughing, wheezing, or chest tightness) across 6, 9, and 12 months.ResultsOf 361 children and adolescents who were randomized (mean [SD] age, 9.8 [3.2] years; 38% female; 181 in IPM plus pest management education group and 180 in pest management education alone group), 334 were included in the primary analysis. For the primary outcome, there was no statistically significant between-group difference for maximal symptom days across 6, 9, and 12 months with a median of 2.0 (interquartile range, 0.7-4.7) maximal symptom days in the IPM plus pest management education group and 2.7 (interquartile range, 1.3-5.0) maximal symptom days in the pest management education alone group (P = .16) and a ratio of symptom frequencies of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.69-1.06).Conclusions And RelevanceAmong mouse-sensitized and exposed children and adolescents with asthma, an intensive year-long integrated pest management intervention plus pest management education vs pest management education alone resulted in no significant difference in maximal symptom days from 6 to 12 months.Trial Registrationclinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01251224.

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