Abstract
Different allergens occur in the body and faeces of the house dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. As inhalation of faecal particles is barely possible because of their size and the body is 12 times bigger, we decided to examine the proportions of IgE antibody to mite faeces and body in asthmatic and eczematous children. A difference could indicate different portals of sensitisation in the two diseases.
69 children with combinations of asthma, eczema and/or rhinitis had radio-allergosorbent (RAST) tests to purified faecal and body allergens performed on their sera. The concentration of IgE antibodies to the body was higher in eczema than in asthma (RAST ± SD; 3.8±0.7 vs 1.9±1.3) but the concentrations of IgE antibodies to the faecal allergens were not significantly different (2.9±1.4 vs 2.1±1.4). The ratio of IgE's (body vs faecal) was significantly greater in the eczematous than in the asthmatic subjects (1.32 vs 0.96). The results in the 4 subjects with rhinitis (2 with and 2 without eczema) support the view that IgE antibodies to the body are characteristic of eczema.
Sensitisation to mite body may occur by a different process from sensitisation to mite faecal particles. The allergens of the body may penetrate the skin while faecal allergen may also enter by other routes.
Support from the Asthma Research Council is gratefully acknowledged.
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Carswell, F., Thompson, S. 36 SENSITISATION TO HOUSE DUST MITE MAY OCCUR BY DIFFERENT ROUTES IN ASTHMA AND ECZEMA. Pediatr Res 20, 1039 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198610000-00090
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198610000-00090