PURPOSE: House dust mites (HDMs) are an important source of indoor allergens associated with asthma, rhinitis and atopic dermatitis. Chicken immunoglobulin (Ig) Y is known to be a good alternative to mice and rabbit antibody production. In this study, we produced IgYs specific to HDMs and investigated their IgE immunoreactivities. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total IgYs were isolated from the yolks of White Leghorn hens immunized with either Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus or D. farinae protein extract. Control antibodies were separated from the yolks of immunized hens with phosphate buffered saline. IgYs specific to HDMs were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting analysis. RESULTS: The concentration of egg IgY specific to D. farinae in an immunized hen increased and the highest achieved was 661.3 ug/mg (per an egg) on day 47, compared with 760 ug/mg IgY specific to D. pteronyssinus on day 16. The D. pteronyssinus or D. farinae-specific IgY was detected by binding of each mite proteins, and their immunoreactivities were elevated dependent of the specific IgY concentration. CONCLUSION: IgY specific to HDMs may be a promising antibody for immunological diagnosis as well as identification of possible resistance relating to HDM allergy.
Allergens/*immunology ; Animals ; Antibodies/*immunology ; Chickens ; Egg Yolk/*immunology ; Female ; Immunoglobulins/*immunology ; Pyroglyphidae/*immunology

BACKGROUNDSubcutaneous specific immunotherapy has been demonstrated to be capable of inducing T-cell regulatory response. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) plays a crucial role in inducing allergen-specific tolerance. However the reports of the changes of IL-10 in house dust mite (HDM)-specific immunotherapy were varied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the function of IL-10-secreting regulatory T cells in asthma children successfully treated with HDM immunotherapy.

METHODSPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from 27 patients following 1.5 - 2 years of HDM-specific immunotherapy (SIT, SIT group) and from 27 matched treated asthmatic children allergic to HDM (asthma group). After 48 hours of in vitro stimulation with HDM extracts, IL-10-secreting regulatory T cells were measured by four colour flow cytometry. Sera were tested for allergen-specific IgG(4) and IgE using the Immuno CAP 100 assay.

RESULTSPBMCs from children undergoing immunotherapy following HDM extracts stimuli produced significantly more IL-10 compared with the asthma group. The frequency of iTreg cells and aTreg cells increased in SIT group after HDM stimulation, while it was not affected in the asthma group. Among the iTreg cells and aTreg cells, the frequency of CD4(+)CD25(-)Foxp3(-)IL-10(+) Treg cells increased the most which was 2 times higher than that in unstimulated cultures in SIT group. The levels of HDM-specific IgG(4) of SIT group was significiently higher compared with asthma group, but there was no correlation of the levels of HDM-specific IgG(4) and IL-10 secreting Treg cells.

CONCLUSIONSHDM-specific immunotherapy can successfully upregulate the frequency of IL-10-secreting Treg cells. CD4(+)CD25(-)Foxp3(-)IL-10(+) Treg cells may play a key role in inducing the immune tolerance in HDM-specific immunotherapy.

Animals ; Asthma ; immunology ; therapy ; Child ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Interleukin-10 ; secretion ; Male ; Pyroglyphidae ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo study the skin prick test (SPT) reactivity to house dust mite allergens in overweight and normal weight children with allergic asthma before and after standard subcutaneous specific immunotherapy.

METHODSTwo hundred and fifteen children with allergic asthma who had positive SPT responses to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (DP) and Dermatophagoides farinae (DF) were enrolled. According to the weight index, they were classified into overweight (n=63) and normal weight groups (n=152). Skin indices (SI) to DP and DF were compared between the two groups at 6 months and 1 year after standard subcutaneous specific immunotherapy.

RESULTSThe overweight group had a significantly larger histamine wheal diameter than the normal weight group after controlling the variation in testing time (P<0.05). After controlling the variation in weights, there were significant differences in the SIs to DP and DF before specific immunotherapy and at 6 months and 1 year after specific immunotherapy. At 6 months and 1 year after specific immunotherapy, the SIs to DP and DF were significantly reduced in both groups (P<0.05), and the overweight group had greater decreases in the SIs to DP and DF than the normal weight group.

CONCLUSIONSThe overweight children with allergic asthma have stronger responses to histamine than the normal weight patients. Specific immunotherapy can reduce the reactivity to dust mite allergens in children with allergic asthma. Within one year after specific immunotherapy, the overweight children with allergic asthma have a significantly greater decrease in the reactivity to dust mite allergens than the normal weight patients.

Adolescent ; Animals ; Asthma ; immunology ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; immunology ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Male ; Overweight ; immunology ; Pyroglyphidae ; immunology ; Skin Tests

OBJECTIVE: To compare the ELISA and Pharmica unicap reagents of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus specific IgG4 in clinic. METHOD: The stability of ELISA reagent was studied first with parameters of intra and inter assay variations (%CV). Calibration curve of the two reagents was compared. Sixty-five serum samples before or after standardized specific immunotherapy were examined with the two methods, correlation coefficient was calculated. RESULT: The stability of ELISA reagent was good with low intra and inter assay variations (3.48% and 5.78%). Calibration curve of the two reagents was similar. The correlation coefficient was 0.93 between the two test methods. CONCLUSION The results of ELISA and Pharmica unicap reagents of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus specific IgG4 were highly consistent. The ELISA reagents could be applied in clinic.
Animals ; Calibration ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; methods ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Indicators and Reagents ; Pyroglyphidae ; immunology

House dust mites produce inhalant allergens of importance to allergic patients. We measured the major group 1 allergens, Der p 1 and Der f 1, from the house dust mites Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farina, respectively in 100 randomly selected domestic homes from Cheonan, Korea. Dust samples were collected by vacuuming from the living room floor and 1 mattress in each home. Der p 1 and Der f 1 were measured by double monoclonal ELISA. Der p 1 levels were very low, with geometric mean levels for floors and mattresses being 0.11 microgram/g (range: 0.01-4.05) and 0.14 microgram/g (range: 0.01-30.0), respectively. Corresponding levels of Der f 1 were higher, 7.46 microgram/g (range: 0.01-262.9) and 10.2 microgram/g (range: 0.01-230.9) for floors and mattresses, respectively. D. farinae appears to be the dominant house dust mite in Cheonan.
Animals ; Antigens, Dermatophagoides/immunology/*isolation & purification ; Bedding and Linens ; Dust/analysis ; Floors and Floorcoverings ; Housing ; Humans ; Korea ; Pyroglyphidae/*immunology

OBJECTIVETo investigate impact factors for the efficacy of specific immunotherapy (SIT) in children with dust mite allergic asthma.

METHODSNinety-nine children with house dust mite allergic asthma received standardized SIT, and the level of asthma control was evaluated after 6 months (S1 stage), 12 months (S2 stage), 18 months (S3 stage), and 24 months (S4 stage) of treatment. The age of first visit, course of asthma, level of asthma severity, initial serum specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) level, combination with allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis, use of inhaled corticosteroids, and local or systemic side effects during treatment were recorded, and their impacts on the level of asthma control were analyzed.

RESULTSAs the SIT proceeded, the number of clinically controlled cases increased significantly (P<0.01). The level of asthma control was significantly affected by the age of patients at first visit in S1 and S3 stages, and combination with allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis in S1 stage (P<0.05). In all stages of SIT, the controlled cases had significantly higher initial serum sIgE levels than the uncontrolled cases (P<0.05). In S1 and S2 stages, there was a significantly higher proportion of controlled cases among children with a high level of asthma severity than among those with a low level of asthma severity (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThere is a positive correlation between long-term efficacy of SIT and the course or the total dose of treatment. Patients with higher initial serum sIgE levels achieve clinical control earlier than those with lower initial serum sIgE levels during SIT.

Adolescent ; Animals ; Asthma ; immunology ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Desensitization, Immunologic ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Male ; Pyroglyphidae ; immunology

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Allergens ; immunology ; Animals ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pyroglyphidae ; immunology ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Vaccines ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

Intradermal tests were performed on 58 dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis from 2004~2008 at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital of Konkuk University, Korea. To compare the allergen distribution observed in the present investigation to the results from other studies conducted in Korea and elsewhere, the allergens were grouped according to their kinds. There was no significant difference in gender distribution among the dogs. The most common breeds among the 58 dogs were Maltese (n = 11) and Shih-tzu (n = 11). The average age was 4.8 years. The most frequently produced a positive reaction on the intradermal tests was mold (67.3%) followed by house dust (54.5%) and house dust mites (49.1%). The present study found a low distribution of dogs allergic to various outdoor allergens compared to studies performed in other countries; this may reflect differences in living conditions for dogs living in Korea.
Allergens/classification/*immunology ; Animals ; Dermatitis, Atopic/epidemiology/immunology/*veterinary ; Dog Diseases/epidemiology/*immunology ; Dogs ; Dust/*immunology ; Female ; Fungi/*immunology ; Intradermal Tests/veterinary ; Male ; Pedigree ; Prevalence ; Pyroglyphidae/*immunology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology

PURPOSE: This study was designed to examine the effect of asthma management education program applied to allergic asthma patients receiving immunotherapy due to house dust mite on their stress and compliance with health care regimens. METHODS: A quasi experimental design with non-equivalent control group and non-synchronized design was used. The subjects of this study were 61 patients who were receiving immunotherapy at intervals of a week after their symptoms were diagnosed as house dust mite allergic asthma at the pulmonary department of a university hospital in Seoul. They were divided into an experimental group of 29 patients who received asthma management education and a control group of 32 patients. The asthma management education program was composed of group education (once) and reinforcement education (three times) with environmental therapy and immunotherapy to house dust mite. RESULTS: Stress significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to that in the control group. Compliance with health care regimens significantly increased in the experimental group compared to that in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggested that the asthma management education program is effective for the management of stress and the improvement of compliance in patients with allergic asthma to house dust mite.
Stress, Psychological/etiology/*prevention & control ; Pyroglyphidae/*immunology ; *Patient Education ; *Patient Compliance ; Male ; Korea ; Humans ; Female ; Asthma/etiology/psychology/*therapy ; Adult

OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) combined with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) versus ICS alone in children with mild and moderate dust mite allergic asthma.

METHODSThirty-two children with mild and moderate dust mite allergic asthma were randomly divided into two groups: SLIT+ICS (n=18) and ICS alone (n=14). A total of 30 children completed the one year clinical observation . The amount of ICS administration, the day and night symptom scores, skin-prick test and pulmonary function test results, serum specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) and G4 (sIgG4) levels and visual analog scale (VAS) scores were compared between the two groups.

RESULTSBy the end of one year the SLIT+ICS group had significantly decreased amount of ICS administration than the ICS alone group. Compared with the ICS alone group, the day and night symptom scores decreased, FEF25-75% increased significantly, and serum sIgE levels and VAS scores were significantly reduced in the SLIT+ICS group. There were no statistical differences in the skin-prick test results, and FEV1 and sIgG4 levels between the two groups. No severe adverse events occurred in both groups during the follow-up period.

CONCLUSIONSSLIT combined with ICS may produce a better efficacy than ICS alone in the improvement of day and night symptoms, pulmonary function and VAS scores in children with dust mite-allergic asthma.

Administration, Sublingual ; Adolescent ; Animals ; Asthma ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Desensitization, Immunologic ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pain Measurement ; Pyroglyphidae ; immunology