title: Measurement of aeroallergens from furnace filters.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Exposure assessment is an important component of allergic disease diagnosis and management. Analysis for allergen content in vacuumed dust has been used traditionally.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study allergen levels of dust taken from high-efficiency furnace filters in Midwestern homes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Furnace filters used were FQT12 1-inch disposable filters with high-efficiency media placed in homes enrolled in the Kansas City Safe and Healthy Homes Project. Dust was removed from the filters by vacuuming. Fungal culture was used to obtain counts of viable spores. Aeroallergens Fel d1, Can f1, Mus m1, Der f1, Der p1, and Bla g2 and antigenic material from Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Penicillium species were measured using commercially available immunoassay materials.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty filters were recovered from 56 homes after an average 135 days in situ. Mean weight of dust recovered was 2.43 g and correlated well with the time the filter was in place. Viable spore counts ranged to 4.8 × 10(7) per gram of dust. Mean fungal antigenic material ranged to 42 μg per gram for Cladosporium species. Mean aeroallergen material ranged to 7 μg per gram for Fel d1. Aeroallergen measurements were above the level of detection in 100% of houses for Fel d1 and 89% of houses for Bla g2. Levels of Fel d1 and Can f1 were strongly positively correlated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Allergens from 5 common aeroallergen species and antigenic material from 4 common fungal taxa can be measured in dust taken from high-efficiency furnace filters.
authors.affiliation: The Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri. Electronic address: barnescs@umkc.edu.
authors.forename: Charles S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.affiliation: The Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
authors.forename: Ryan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Allenbrand
authors.affiliation: The Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
authors.forename: Mubeen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohammed
authors.affiliation: The Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gard
authors.affiliation: The Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
authors.forename: Freddy
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pacheco
authors.affiliation: The Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.affiliation: The Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
authors.forename: Jay M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Portnoy
authors.affiliation: The Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ciaccio
mesh_terms: D061808:Air Filters; D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis; D000485:Allergens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000528:Alternaria / Q000276:immunology; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology*; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000276:immunology; D002963:Cladosporium / Q000276:immunology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D004391:Dust / Q000032:analysis; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000032:analysis; D005374:Filtration; D005658:Fungi / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D010407:Penicillium / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D004391:Dust