1.Activated Charcoal Suppresses Breeding of the House Dust Mite, Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus, in Culture.
Hae Seon NAM ; Robert SIEBERS ; Sun Hwa LEE ; Sung Ho KIM ; Sang Han LEE ; Julian CRANE
Journal of Korean Medical Science 2007;22(2):383-385
House dust mite sensitized asthmatics are advised to practice allergen avoidance. Charcoal pillows are used in Korea with unsubstantiated claims regarding their efficacy in alleviating asthma symptoms. We tested the effects of activated charcoal on breeding of house dust mites in culture. Twenty live adult house dust mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) were inoculated, 10 replicates, on culture media containing 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, and 20% activated charcoal and incubated at 25 degrees C and a relative humidity of 75%. After four weeks, the mean numbers of live house dust mites were 286, 176, 46, 16, 7, and 0 for the 0%, 1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, and 20% charcoal-containing culture media, respectively. Thus, activated charcoal suppresses breeding of house dust mites and offers a new promising method for house dust mite control.
Pyroglyphidae/*drug effects/*growth & development
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*Pesticides
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Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
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Charcoal/*administration & dosage
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Breeding
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Animals
2.House Dust Mite Allergens in Domestic Homes in Cheonan, Korea.
Hae Seon NAM ; Robert SIEBERS ; Sun Hwa LEE ; Joon Soo PARK ; Yong Bae KIM ; Young Jin CHOI ; Sang Han LEE ; Julian CRANE
The Korean Journal of Parasitology 2008;46(3):187-189
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
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Antigens, Dermatophagoides/immunology/*isolation & purification
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Bedding and Linens
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Dust/analysis
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Floors and Floorcoverings
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Housing
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Humans
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Korea
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Pyroglyphidae/*immunology