title: House dust-mite allergen and cat allergen variability within carpeted living room floors in domestic dwellings.
abstract: Exposure to allergens from house dust-mites (Der p 1) and domestic cats (Fel d 1) is associated with symptom severity in atopic subjects with asthma and rhinitis. Assessment of allergen exposure in the domestic environment is normally determined by measurement from a single floor site. We determined the variability of these allergens and protein throughout the whole living room floor area. Dust samples were collected from 1 m2 areas from 16 carpeted living room floors in Wellington, New Zealand, and analyzed for concentrations of Der p 1 and Fel d 1. Mean coefficients of variation for Der p 1 and Fel d 1 were 53.1% (range: 28.5-136.8) and 65.6% (range: 28.5-131), respectively. This study has demonstrated a large variation of house dust-mite and cat allergens within living room floors and thus a single sampling site may not be representative for assessment of an individual's exposure risk. House dust-mite and cat allergen levels from the center of the room, in front of a couch or chair, or from a corner of the room are similar to mean levels from the whole room, these sites may thus be representative of the whole living room floor in large-scale epidemiological studies.
authors.affiliation: Wellington Asthma Research Group, Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Wellington, New Zealand. rob@wnmeds.ac.nz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Loan
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Siebers
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fitzharris
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crane
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis*; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology; D002415:Cats; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005430:Floors and Floorcoverings; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000209:etiology; D039981:Pyroglyphidae / Q000276:immunology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012220:Rhinitis / Q000209:etiology; D013048:Specimen Handling
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D004391:Dust