title: 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.
authors.affiliation: ALK Research, Hørsholm, Denmark.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schou
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Caldas
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Lockey
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Løwenstein
mesh_terms: D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000276:immunology*; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D004391:Dust; D007073:Immunoglobulin E