Olfactory Cues of Naturally Occurring Systemic Inflammation: A Pilot Study of Seasonal Allergy

Arnaud Tognetti (), Supreet Saluja, Nathalie Lybert, Julie Lasselin, Sandra Tamm, Catarina Lensmar, Bianka Karshikoff, Simon Cervenka, Mats Lekander and Mats Olsson
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Arnaud Tognetti: CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier, Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]
Supreet Saluja: Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]
Nathalie Lybert: Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]
Julie Lasselin: Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]
Sandra Tamm: Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]
Catarina Lensmar: Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]
Bianka Karshikoff: Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]
Simon Cervenka: Uppsala University, Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]
Mats Lekander: Stockholm University, Karolinska Institutet [Stockholm]
Mats Olsson: Stockholm University

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Abstract: In an attempt to avoid contact with infectious individuals, humans likely respond to generalized rather than specific markers of disease. Humans may thus perceive a noninfectious individual as socially less attractive if they look (e.g., have facial discolouration), move (e.g., have a slower walking pace), or sound (e.g., sneeze) sick. This pilot study tested whether humans are averse to the body odour of noninfectious individuals with a low-grade systemic inflammation. Methods: We collected the axillary body odour of individuals with severe seasonal allergy (N = 14) and healthy controls (N = 10) during and outside the allergy season and measured serum levels of two inflammatory cytokines (tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-5). Independent participants (N = 67) then sampled and rated these odours on intensity and pleasantness. Results: While individuals with seasonal allergy had nominally more unpleasant and intense body odours during the allergy season, relative to outside the allergy season and to healthy controls, these effects were not significant. When examining immune markers, the change in perceived pleasantness of an individual's body odour (from out-to-inside pollen season) was significantly related to the change in their interleukin-5 levels but not to tumour necrosis factor-α. Discussion: Our findings tentatively suggest that the human olfactory system could be sensitive to inflammation as present in a noncommunicable condition. Larger replications are required to determine the role of olfaction in the perception of infectious and noninfectious (e.g., chronic diseases) conditions.

Keywords: Olfactory cues of sickness; Inflammation; Behavioural immune system; Body odours; Pollen allergy; Cytokines (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-04362298v1
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Published in Neuroimmunomodulation, 2023, 30, pp.338 - 345. ⟨10.1159/000535047⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04362298

DOI: 10.1159/000535047

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