PubMed · 2013677
Environmental assay for cockroach allergens.
Abstract
A sandwich ELISA was developed to measure the concentration of cockroach allergen in the environment. The assay was based on a monospecific rabbit antibody preparation reactive with determinants shared by the important allergens, Per a I and Bla g I, from American and German cockroaches. The sensitivity was 0.2 ng Lowry protein of Per a I equivalents per milliliter, corresponding to 1 ng of Per a I equivalents per gram of dust (Per a I eq/gm). The assay did not react with noncockroach-allergen sources. Dust samples from 73 households in a cockroach-infested area were assayed. The concentration in these samples varied from below detection to 200,000 ng of Per a eq/gm of dust. Three commercial cockroach-allergen extracts all contained the allergen. The assay will be valuable for studies of the clinically relevant cockroach-allergen exposure levels and for assessment of efficacy of allergen-avoidance measures. Furthermore, the assay could be used for sanitary documentation in bakeries, restaurants, etc.
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C Schou, E Fernandez-Caldas, R F Lockey, H Løwenstein. 1991. Environmental assay for cockroach allergens.. https://doi.org/10.1016/0091-6749(91)90129-c
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