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PubMed2000

Evaluation of the effects of selamectin against adult and immature stages of fleas (Ctenocephalides felis felis) on dogs and cats.

The adulticidal, ovicidal, and larvicidal effects of selamectin against flea (Ctenocephalides felis felis) infestations on dogs and cats were evaluated in a series of seven controlled and masked studies (three in cats, four in dogs). Animals were randomly allocated to treatment with either selamectin at a minimum dosage of 6mgkg(-1) in the commercial formulation or one of two negative-controls (0.9% NaCl solution or the vehicle from the commercial formulation). Treatments were administered topically in a single spot on the skin at the base of the neck in front of the scapulae. Speed of kill, measured by flea comb counts at 12h intervals during the 48h immediately following a single treatment on day 0, was evaluated in two studies. One study was in dogs and the other in cats, and each animal was infested with approximately 100 unfed viable adult fleas prior to treatment. Reductions in geometric mean flea counts for selamectin compared with saline were >98% between 24 and 36h after treatment in dogs, and between 12 and 24h after treatment in cats (P< or =0.0006). Efficacy in reducing flea egg hatch and larval development was evaluated in four studies, in which dogs and cats were treated once on day 0 and then repeatedly infested with approximately 600 fleas. Flea eggs were collected approximately for 72h after each infestation, on days 3, 7, 14, 21, and 30, counted, and cultured to determine their hatchability and subsequent larval development. Compared with the vehicle, selamectin was highly effective in reducing flea egg hatch (>92% in cats) and larval development (> or =95% for dogs and cats), and emergence of adults (97.8-100% for dogs, 85.6-100% for cats) for 30 days. Effects of exposure to hair coat debris were investigated in a study with dogs treated once on day 0 and repeatedly infested with 100 adult fleas. Debris (dander, flea faeces, hair, scales) was collected on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 30 and added to normal flea eggs or larvae for incubation. Compared with debris from vehicle-treated dogs, debris from selamectin-treated dogs was highly effective in preventing egg hatch (>96%), in killing larvae (>98%) and in preventing larval development to adults (>99%) (P</=0.0033). Selamectin was shown to be highly effective in the treatment and control of flea infestations (C. felis) on dogs and cats. The adulticidal, ovicidal, and larvicidal effects of selamectin will be important in interrupting the flea life cycle by preventing the introduction and establishment of new flea infestations in a household environment.

Administration, Topical↗

PubMed2001

Two new variants of the lipocalin allergen Bos d 2.

Allergens from various sources have been shown to comprise several isoforms. In the present study, a series of chromatographic steps was carried out to separate the lipocalin allergen Bos d 2 isoforms present in cow dander. Subsequent HPLC-MS-MS analyses revealed two new Bos d 2 variants. In one of the proteins, tyrosine (Y83) was substituted by aspartic acid, and in the other protein valine (V102) was replaced by alanine. We propose the three Bos d 2 variants be named as Bos d 2.0101 (previously sequenced Bos d 2), Bos d 2.0102 and Bos d 2.0103. Our results suggest that molecular polymorphism is a common property among lipocalin allergens. Since allergen isoforms may show variation in their IgE binding and/or T-cell reactivity, all of the many allergen forms should be taken into account when planning preparations for immunotherapy.

Allergens↗

PubMed2003

Provocation studies in the diagnosis of occupational asthma.

Specific and nonspecific provocation studies, although not always essential for diagnosing OA, help confirm the diagnosis and identify the offending agent. Nonspecific bronchial challenge testing is used to detect airway hyperresponsiveness and to clarify the nature of the patient's symptoms. Pharmacologic bronchoconstrictor agents (eg, methacholine, histamine) most commonly are used for the challenge, but nonisotonic aerosols, exercise and hyperventilation also can show airway hyperresponsiveness. Nonspecific challenges usually are done in the laboratory, but can be done at the workplace if emergency equipment is available. A comparison of results obtained at and away from the workplace (at least 1 week apart) may be helpful in diagnosing OA. Specific bronchial challenge testing is considered the gold standard for OA diagnosis. It can be crucial in helping physicians, employers, and employees make decisions about continued employment, compensation, career changes, and treatment. Testing can pinpoint new industrial agents that cause OA, enabling dissemination of information on its hazards to the public and within the industry. The nature of the agent determines the type of protocol that is used for testing. Agents can be in the form of dusts, powders, aerosols, vapors gases, and animal dander. Exposure can be as simple as having patients simulate their work activities, or as complicated as using special challenge chambers with controlled environments and precise delivery of agents. Performing control challenges with a component that is separate from the test agent is essential to avoid false-positive results. The timing, duration, and dosing of exposure depend on the type of reaction that has been experienced previously, the nature of the agent, and the patient's baseline airway hyperresponsiveness. Serial spirometry and observation often are done for up to 8 hours to monitor early and late reactions. SBC testing should be performed in the proper medical setting in which emergency equipment available and should be administered only by healthcare personnel who are trained and experienced in the procedures. Safety of the patient is the primary consideration.

Asthma↗

PubMed2003

Indoor air quality and health does fungal contamination play a significant role?

Fungal contamination in buildings can vary greatly, and their presence in a dwelling does not necessarily constitute exposure. Measurement of mold spores and fragments varies depending on the methodology and instruments used. Meaningful comparison of data is rarely possible. The presence of a specific immune response to a fungal antigen only connotes that exposure to one or more related species has occurred, but not that there is a symptomatic clinical state. The response of individuals to indoor bioaerosols is complex and depends on age, gender, state of health, genetic makeup, and degree and time of bioaerosol exposure. In general, mold contamination in buildings is associated with incursion of water or moisture, which should be remedied as efficiently as possible. When disease occurs, it more likely is related to transient annoyance or irritational reactions. Allergic symptoms may be related to mold proliferation in the home environment. Because molds are encountered both indoors and outdoors, it is difficult to determine where the sensitivity initially arose and if the response is solely provoked by either an indoor or outdoor source. As an indoor allergen, mold is considered to be an infrequent participant in the induction of allergic disease when compared with housedust mites, animal dander, and cockroach allergens. Infection in healthy individuals is rare and usually is caused by an outdoor source. Building-related disease caused by mycotoxicosis has not been proved in the medical literature.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗

PubMed2004

[The asthmatic child at school: difficulties encountered and proposed solutions].

Among a child out of ten is asthmatic. School absenteeism is frequent, due to an insufficient control of asthma. This insufficient control is especially evident at school where the usual risk factors of asthma are present. Allergenic risk with animals danders carried by other children, or regular practice of sports, are difficult situations for the asthmatic child. Controlling asthma, informing school and communicating with teachers, using the individualized care project, should avoid this absenteeism, which is responsible of school backwardness and difficulties in choosing careers.

Absenteeism↗

PubMed1999

[Specific immunotherapy].

Increase of the prevalence of allergy these last 20 years is in part secondary to the modification of the allergenic charge of our environment. The specific immunotherapy (SIT) is the only etiologic treatment of the allergic disease and numbers of authors believe that, for the future, this treatment could change the natural history of the respiratory allergy, provided that it is realised early in the first years of life. Several experimental studies show that the process of the SIT could be the restoration of the Th1 cell/Th2 cell balance which is reversed in allergies. However, indications of SIT have to be carefully selected. The ideal indication is the single sensitized asthma, and treatment has to be started in the first years of life, at the onset of the asthmatic disease, before a definitive remodelling of the respiratory airways induced by inflammation. Subcutaneous SIT is for the moment the only effective route confirmed by several controlled trials, in particular for grass pollens, possibly for house dust, pet danders and mite allergens. Risk of syndromic effects, present all the time of the SIT protocol, can be prevented by rigorous use of the SIT according to the European consensus. The advent of recombinant allergens, in particular by complementary DNA (cDNA) modified by site-directed mutagenesis, could tip the immune response to a Th-1 like response instead of a Th-2 like response (IgE mediated) and result in a better tolerated and more efficacy immunomodulation.

Age Factors↗

PubMed2005

Deer ked-induced occupational allergic rhinoconjunctivitis.

BACKGROUND: Deer keds (elk fly) have not previously been described as a cause of respiratory or conjunctival sensitization. OBJECTIVE: To report a case of IgE-mediated allergic rhinoconjunctivitis from occupational exposure to deer ked. METHODS: Skin prick testing (SPT) was performed with pollens, animal danders, mites, molds, and deer ked. The serum deer ked-specific IgE level was examined in ImmunoSpot and radioallergosorbent test assays, and deer ked IgE-binding fractions and their specificities were examined in immunoblot and immunoblot inhibition assays. Nasal provocation testing (NPT) and conjunctival provocation testing (CPT) were performed to detect the association between deer ked sensitization and rhinoconjunctival symptoms. Both SPT and NPT were performed with deer ked whole-body extract, whereas CPT was performed with deer ked wing. RESULTS: The results of SPT, NPT, and CPT were positive for deer ked. In laboratory tests, serum deer ked-specific IgE antibodies were demonstrated in radioallergosorbent test and ImmunoSpot assays. In immunoblot, IgE-binding bands were demonstrated at 17, 33, 70, and 85 kDa, which were clearly inhibited with deer ked extract but not with the control extract. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational IgE-mediated rhinoconjunctival allergy to deer ked was confirmed in this patient.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Coincidence of atopy and its profile (monosensitization/polysensitization) between sibling pairs.

BACKGROUND: Results of epidemiologic studies have shown that childhood atopy is probably a hereditary disorder. In the atopic population, some individuals are sensitized to only 1 class of allergens (monosensitized), whereas others are sensitized to more than 1 class of allergens (polysensitized). OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether atopy and its profile (monosensitization/polysensitization) tend to coincide in sibling pairs. METHODS: We evaluated sensitization to 5 classes of aeroallergens (house dust mites, animal danders, pollens, molds, and cockroach) using skin prick testing in 564 children with symptoms suggestive of allergic diseases (index children) and their paired siblings. RESULTS: The frequency of sibling atopy was highest (56.8%) for polysensitized index children (n=222), intermediate (45.4%) for monosensitized index children (n=196), and lowest (30.8%) for nonsensitized index children (n=146). The proportion of polysensitization among atopic siblings was significantly higher for polysensitized (47.6%) than for monosensitized (32.6%) index children. Polysensitized index children were found to more frequently have polysensitized siblings (27.0%) than were monosensitized index children (14.8%), with an odds ratio of 2.13 (95% confidence interval, 1.30-3.49), whereas the likelihood of having a monosensitized sibling was similar for monosensitized and polysensitized index children. CONCLUSION: These data suggest a coincidence of atopy and its profile in terms of monosensitization and polysensitization in sibling pairs, although the relative importance of genetic and environmental influences requires further study.

Allergens↗

PubMed2001

The risk of adenoid hypertrophy in children with allergic rhinitis.

BACKGROUND: Adenoid hypertrophy (AH) may cause significant morbidity in children but its relationship to allergic rhinitis (AR) has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: To determine the risk factor of AH in patients with AR. METHODS: We studied 315 children (ages 1 to 18 years) who had AH and AR. We compared them with 315 age-matched controls who had AR alone. To identify risk factors, they were divided into four groups according to age and clinical parameters, including the prevalence of otitis media, sinusitis, lower respiratory infection, exposure to smoking, sleep disorders, use of antihistamine/decongestants, and results of allergy skin testing. RESULTS: The prevalence of upper or lower respiratory infections was higher in the group with AR and AH, but not in all age groups. A high prevalence of exposure to smoking and skin test reactivity against house dust mites were found in both groups. However, the prevalence of positive reactivity to molds was significantly higher in the group with AH and AR (P ranged from 0.013 to <0.0001 and the relative risk ranged from 1.609 to 2.375). Further, the risk of AH was positively correlated with number of skin test reactivity to mold spores (P ranged from 0.0035 to 0.0001). Positive skin test reactivity to animal danders or seasonal allergens failed to predict the risk of AH. CONCLUSIONS: Sensitivity to mold allergens is an important risk factor for AH in children with AR; therefore, early prevention of exposure to molds may help reduce occurrence of AH.

Adenoids↗

PubMed2001

Cell and molecular biology of chemical allergy.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review is to provide current approaches to gain increased understanding of the molecular basis of chemical allergenicity. Chemical allergy refers to an allergic reaction to a low molecular weight agent (ie, <1 kD). The symptoms and pathology of chemical asthma resemble those of allergy to larger sized agents, such as pollens, weeds, and danders. The differences relate to mechanisms of disease. To stimulate an immune response, low molecular weight chemicals function as haptens and bind to carrier macromolecules. This article focuses on the chemical reactions and physicochemical characteristics of chemical allergens. DATA SOURCES: Data were obtained from published clinical reports and from the Documentation of Threshold Limit Values (1998) published by the American Congress of Governmental Industrial Hygienists. RESULTS: In vitro studies indicate the stoichiometric reaction of some chemical allergens with glutathione and the subsequent transfer of the allergen from glutathione to other nucleophiles. Computer-generated structure-activity relationship models have been developed for chemicals that induce respiratory allergy. The models, based on physicochemical properties of the agents, have high sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSIONS: The structure-activity relationship model suggests that chemical binding is the essential feature of chemical allergens. Their in vivo reactions with thiols may result in glutathione deficiency with consequent alteration in cellular reduction-oxidation (redox) status, release of cytokines, and promotion of the T helper cell 2 phenotype. Prevention of permanent disease is dependent on periodic medical surveillance of affected workers. When detected early, the disease can frequently be reversed.

Allergens↗

PubMed1999

Age-dependent tendency to become sensitized to other classes of aeroallergens in atopic asthmatic children.

BACKGROUND: Several longitudinal studies report that allergic sensitization increases with age from childhood to adulthood. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether an age-dependent tendency to become sensitized to new classes of allergens is present in atopic children, we studied retrospectively the changes in allergic sensitization in 165 asthmatic patients, monosensitized (ie, sensitized to only one class of allergens) in the first survey. METHODS: All the children (18 months to 8 years at enrollment), attended our outpatient clinics twice, at time intervals ranging from 2 to 10 years. On each visit, sensitization to house dust mites, pollens, animal danders, and molds was determined by skin prick test. RESULTS: We found that 43.6% (n = 72) of the patients became polysensitized on the second survey. According to age on first survey, the patients were further divided into two age groups: (1) group 1 = 18 months to < 5 years old (n = 98) and (2) group 2 = 5 to 8 years (n = 67). The transition from monosensitization to polysensitization observed in the entire population was present in both groups: 47 (47.9%) of the 98 children in group 1 and 25 (37.3%) of the 67 children in group 2 showed to be sensitized to more classes of allergens, as compared with first survey. Both in the whole population and in the two age subgroups, the changes in the frequency of monosensitization between the two evaluations were time-dependent (P < .05, each Chi(2)). Finally, to investigate whether monosensitization to a specific class of allergens could favor the development of polysensitization, we evaluated the frequency of polysensitization in the second survey in patients originally monosensitized to house dust mites or to pollens. We found that of the 130 patients originally monosensitized to house dust mites, 59 became polysensitized (45.4%), while of the 28 patients originally monosensitized to pollens, 9 became polysensitized (32.1%) (P > . 1). Similar results were obtained when patients were divided into age groups. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that (1) monosensitized children are likely to become polysensitized and (2) house dust mite sensitization and, at a lower degree, pollen sensitization, apparently seem to play a "triggering" role in the development of polysensitization, since a high proportion of children originally monosensitized to house dust mites or to pollens became polysensitized.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1998

Prevalence of sensitization to aeroallergens in California patients with respiratory allergy. Allergy Skin Test Project Team.

BACKGROUND: The number of allergy skin tests required to evaluate patients with respiratory allergy has recently been challenged by the managed care community. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine which aeroallergens are prevalent in patients with respiratory allergy (allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma) in California. METHODS: Utilizing aeroallergens thought to be relevant from recent aerobiologic and botanic data, 141 allergic and 17 asymptomatic control subjects were tested for the prevalence of 103 allergens. A standardized prick puncture technique and standardized interpretation of wheal/flare responses were utilized using the same lot of allergen for 13 allergy practices distributed throughout California. Frequency curves based on prevalence were established to determine the number of tests required to give up to 90% of positive responses for tree, weed and grass pollen, mold spores, and miscellaneous allergens which included house dust mite, cat, dog, and cockroach allergens. RESULTS: Positive responses in allergic subjects for grasses ranged from 46% to 54%, for weeds 19% to 37%, and for trees 10% to 42%. For molds the range was from 11% to 22%. The response rate for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was 53%, for Dermatophagoides farinae 42%, for cat pelt 39% and cat hair 37%, for cockroach 23% and dog dander 19%. Asymptomatic control subjects responded to only 4% of all allergens tested. Ninety percent of all positive tests required three miscellaneous allergens (house dust mite, cat, and cockroach), 9 molds, 2 grasses, 16 weeds, and 27 trees for a total of 57 allergens (56% of total tested). There was no clear relationship between locale and specific allergen response, probably related to the limited number of subjects tested and variability within the same geographic region. Several seldom tested tree and weed allergens showed a higher prevalence rate than several commonly tested for allergens. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests that approximately 57 aeroalleroens might be adequate to detect 90% of all positive responses in patients with respiratory allergy in California. This study was limited by subject number and variability between study sites. It is hoped a standardized model can be developed from this pilot study to definitively determine which aeroallergens are relevant in the United States.

Adult↗

PubMed1998

Prevalence of atopy in students from Málaga, Spain.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiologic studies are necessary to determine the prevalence of allergic diseases. This varies widely depending on allergen preparations and patients studied. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence of atopic disease, skin test reactivity, total and specific IgE to common allergens, and other variables in a sample of students from Málaga, southern Spain. METHODS: Three hundred sixty-five students (age 17.9 +/- 1.18) were interviewed by an allergist. Skin prick tests were performed with Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Artemisia vulgaris, Plantago lanceolata, Chenopodium album, Olea europaea, Phleum pratense, Parietaria judaica, Cynodon dactylon, Alternaria tenuis, and cat dander. Total and specific IgE to D. pteronyssinus, Olea, and Parietaria were determined. RESULTS: Of all subjects studied, 19.9% suffered from rhinoconjunctivitis, 4.1% rhinoconjunctivitis plus asthma, 3.1% asthma alone, and 0.8% atopic dermatitis; 46.4% had a positive skin test to at least one allergen (28.2% to D. pteronyssinus, 20.4% to Olea, 13.8% to Phleum); and 43% had total IgE > 100 kU/L and 44.7% a family history of atopy. Allergic symptoms were strongly associated with skin test positivities and family allergic history. Patients with asthma or skin prick test positive had higher total IgE values than others (P < .01). There was a significant correlation between specific IgE values and wheal size in skin test. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm the high prevalence of atopic diseases, and the close relationship of skin tests reactivity (or presence of specific IgE) to allergens with symptoms of asthma and rhinitis. The presence of a family history of allergic diseases influences the development of positive skin tests and atopic illness. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and pollen of Olea europaea were found to be the most common allergens.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1997

Frequency and specific sensitization to inhalant allergens within nuclear families of children with asthma and/or rhinitis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of allergy in 85 families of pediatric patients with asthma and/or rhinitis. METHODS: Families enrolled were drawn according to a table of randomization, from those whose children were referred the outpatient clinic of the Pulmonology Department of Gaslini Institute (Genoa, Italy). In patients and in both their mothers and fathers, allergic sensitization to the three most common classes of inhalant allergens (house dust mites, pollens, and animal danders) was evaluated by skin prick test. RESULTS: As compared with their parents, children showed a similar prevalence of positive skin prick test (50.0% and 58.8%, respectively; chi 2 = 1.4; P > .1), but a significantly higher frequency of specific sensitization to house dust mites, pollens, or pets (P < .05, each chi 2). These differences were at least partially related to the higher frequency of polysensitization (i.e., sensitization to more than one class of allergens) in children than in their parents [chi 2 = 4.2, odds ratio (OR) = 2.3, 95% confidence interval (CI95%) = 1.0 to 5.1; P < .05). In addition, both in children (chi 2 = 5.8, OR = 11.3, CI95% = 1.4 to 81.5; P < .05] and in their parents (chi 2 = 7.4, OR = 4.8, CI95% = 1.5 to 16.7; P < .01), allergy to pollens was less frequent in monosensitized than in polysensitized families, while the prevalence of sensitization to house dust mites was similar in monosensitized and in polysensitized families. The analysis of the role of parental sensitization in the development of allergy in the offspring demonstrated that the prevalence of allergic children: (1) seemed to be higher, without reaching statistical significance, in families with sensitized parents than in those with non-sensitized parents (chi 2 = 0.41, P > .1) and (2) was higher in families with one or both polysensitized parents than in those with one or both monosensitized parents (chi 2 = 4.5, OR = 4.0, CI95% = 1.1 to 15.6; P < .05). In addition, within each family, the coincidence of sensitization to house dust mites was more frequent than that to pollens (60.0% and 36.0%, respectively; chi 2 = 7.6, OR = 4.5, CI95% = 1.5 to 14.3; P < .01), and it was not influenced by the number of parents sensitized to same allergen. CONCLUSION: These data support the concept that, in addition to genetic predisposition, other factors (i.e., environmental exposure) may influence the development of specific sensitization in children with respiratory symptoms. The different sensitization found in this study between children and their parents occurred in a generation span, so as it is more likely to be related to environmental changes than to genetic factors.

Administration, Inhalation↗

PubMed1996

Sensitization to airborne allergens in children with respiratory symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Allergy is one of the most common causes of respiratory symptoms in children and youth. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the presence and the type of allergic sensitization in a paediatric population with respiratory symptoms. METHODS: We studied 564 consecutive children, 5 months to 17 years of age, with a male to female ratio (M/F) = 1.4, referred to our outpatient clinic in a 12-month period retrospectively. Patients were arbitrarily divided into four groups (grs) according to their age: gr1 = 5 months to 4 years old (181 patients), gr2 = 4 to 7 years (201 patients), gr3 = 7 to 10 years (96 patients), and gr4 = 10 to 17 years (86 patients). Sensitization to house dust mites, pollens, animal dander, and molds was determined by skin prick testing. RESULTS: Sensitization to at least one class of allergen occurred in 304 of the 564 patients (53.9%, M/F ratio = 2.0); the percentage of allergic patients increased with age as follows: 29.8% (54 patients) of the patients in gr1, 55.2% (111 patients) in gr2, 68.8% (66 patients) in gr3 and 84.9% (73 patients) in gr4 (chi(2) = 84.1, P < .01). In the entire allergic population and in gr1 to gr3, the most common positive allergic reaction was to house dust mites (P < .01, chi(2) test each comparison). In contrast, gr4 patients showed a nearly equal percentage of sensitization to pollens and to house dust mites (79.5% and 78.1% respectively) (chi(2) = 0.0, P = >.1). Sensitization to only one class of allergen occurred in 51.3% of the allergic patients and the percentage of these monosensitized patients tended to decrease from gr1 to gr4 (chi(2) = 15.2, P < .1). In the monosensitized group, sensitization to house dust mites was the most frequent in gr1 to gr3 (age <10 years) as in the whole sample. In gr4, the frequency of sensitization to house dust mites was similar to that of sensitization to pollens. On the contrary, within the patient group sensitized to two or more allergens (polysensitized patients), sensitization to house dust mites was as frequent as sensitization to pollens already in gr2 as compared with monosensitized patients. CONCLUSIONS: In children with respiratory symptoms, the percentage of allergic individuals was high and increased with the age of the patients. This phenomenon was associated with an age-related enhancement in the ratio of polysensitized to monosensitized patients and with an age-related increase in the frequency of sensitization to seasonal allergens (ie, pollens).

Adolescent↗

PubMed2001

[Therapy of allergic bronchial asthma].

Asthma and atopy are strongly related conditions. The presence of specific IgE to perennial (arthropods, animal dander and other), seasonal (pollens, certain fungal spores) and occupational allergens is associated with the occurrence of asthmatic symptoms. Current therapy is based on combining three principles: Avoidance of trigger factors and of allergen exposure, drug therapy, and specific immunotherapy. Feasability and effectiveness of allergen avoidance (particularly of perennial allergens) have been proven. However, these measures must often be supplemented with drug therapy. Several classes of drugs are nowadays available for treatment of asthmatic symptoms and, most importantly, for control of the bronchial inflammatory process which underlies atopic asthma. Specific immunotherapy is a good treatment option in allergy to pollens, but its use is controversial in allergy to house dust mites and other perennial allergens. Finally, it should be kept in mind that the successful longterm management of patients with atopic asthma depends highly on the compliance of patients.

Anti-Asthmatic Agents↗

PubMed1999

Increasing prevalence of allergic rhinitis symptoms in an adult Danish population.

There is evidence that the prevalence of respiratory allergy is increasing. This is mainly based on studies in children and young adults. The aim of the study was to compare the prevalences of self-reported symptoms of respiratory allergy among Danish adults in two surveys 8 years apart. Identical questionnaires were mailed to two random general population samples in 1989 and 1997. The response rates were 86.1% (n = 3603) and 86.4% (n = 817), respectively. The sampling frame and sampling method were identical in both surveys. The changes in the prevalences of symptoms were expressed by sex- and age-adjusted odds ratios comparing 1997 to 1989. We found a significant increase in the prevalence of seasonal rhinitis symptoms (OR=1.6, 95% CI 1.4-1.9), rhinitis symptoms on exposure to pollen (OR =1.6, 95% CI 1.4-1.9), rhinitis symptoms on exposure to furry animals (odds ratio 1.6, 95% CI 1.3-2.0), rhinitis symptoms on exposure to house dust (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.6), and breathlessness on exposure to pollen (OR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.0). The observed increases were independent of sex and age. The questionnaire was validated in relation to allergen skin test reactivity in a subgroup of the responders to the 1989 survey. When the estimated associations between symptoms and skin test reactivity were considered, the results suggested an increase in allergy to pollen and animal dander. In conclusion, we found evidence of increased prevalence of allergic rhinitis symptoms associated with skin test reactivity.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Identification of bovine IgG as a major cross-reactive vertebrate meat allergen.

BACKGROUND: Although beef is a main source of protein in Western diets, very little has been published on allergic reactions to beef or the main allergens implicated in these reactions. The aim was to evaluate the IgE antibody response to beef in suspected meat-allergic subjects and assess cross-reactivity of beef with other vertebrate meats. METHODS: Fifty-seven sera from suspected meat-allergic subjects were tested by grid blot for specific IgE antibodies to vertebrate meats (beef, lamb, pork, venison, and chicken), and the patterns of recognition of meat proteins were assessed by immunoblot studies. RESULTS: A 160-kDa band, identified as bovine IgG, was detected in raw beef in 83% (10/12) of beef-allergic subjects but in only 24% of the beef-tolerant subjects. IgE reactivity to a band of similar mol. mass was detected also in lamb and venison, but rarely in pork or chicken. Complete inhibition of the IgE reactivity to the bovine IgG was obtained with lamb, venison, and milk. IgE reactivity to this band also completely disappeared when beef or lamb extracts were separated under reducing conditions, indicating conformational epitopes. CONCLUSIONS: Bovine IgG appears to be a major cross-reacting meat allergen that could predict beef allergy. Further studies with oral IgG challenges should be performed to document the conclusion that in vitro reactivity correlates with clinical hypersensitivity. The role of bovine IgG in other bovine products such as milk, dander, or hair must also be studied, and the hypothesis that it is a cross-reacting allergen with other mammalian products validated.

Adolescent↗