Editorial
HOUSE DUST MITE ALLERGY - LIVING WITH THE INVISIBLE ROOMMATES
BRANKO PEVEC
; Department of Clinical Immunology, Pulmonology and Rheumatology,Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
MIRA RADULOVIĆ PEVEC
; Department of Clinical Immunology, Pulmonology and Rheumatology,Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
ASJA STIPIĆ MARKOVIĆ
; Department of Clinical Immunology, Pulmonology and Rheumatology,Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
IRENA BATIŠTA
; Immunological Laboratory,Sveti Duh University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
House dust mites are the most common sources of allergic sensitization, primarily responsible for the occurrence of various clinical forms of respiratory and skin allergies, but also of certain forms of food allergy. There are many various mite species, of which only a small number are constantly or occasionally found in house dust samples. Mites from Pyroglyphidae family, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae are most frequently responsible for sensitization of susceptible persons. Other less commonly found species may represent individual primary sources of sensitization, or may cause disease symptoms due to cross-reactivity. The exposure to various mite species within different geographical regions accounts for the generation of various sensitization proiles. Knowing these proiles is important for planning rational speciic immunotherapy, which greatly determines its eficacy. The aims of this paper are to review the environment conditions that inluence mite incidence and the ways their changes can control allergen amounts in patient homes, to review the allergenic content and the signiicance of cross-reactivity among mite allergens, and inally, to explain the factors that enable the generation of various sensitization proiles.
Keywords
house dust mites; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus; Dermatophagoides farinae; storage mites; sensitization proiles
Hrčak ID:
97231
URI
Publication date:
14.2.2013.
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