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Immunologically Mediated Diseases and Allergic Reactions
Published in Julius P. Kreier, Infection, Resistance, and Immunity, 2022
Kim A. Campbell, Caroline C. Whitacre
Allergies to certain foods, dust, or animal dander can be controlled by avoidance of the allergen. However, ubiquitous allergens such as ragweed, grasses, or certain tree pollens are difficult to avoid. Many allergy patients undergo allergen immunotherapy, which is a technique that involves subcutaneous injection of increasing doses of an allergen over a period of weeks or months in hopes of reducing allergen-specific IgE levels. Allergen immunotherapy has proven successful for treatment of allergic asthma and rhinitis, but the mechanism by which this treatment improves clinical symptoms is not entirely clear. Following repeated injections of allergen, there is an increase in antigen-specific IgG antibodies, which are postulated to function by neutralizing antigen, by blocking the interaction of antigen and IgE, and by negatively regulating IgE production through antibody feedback mechanisms. Desensi tiza ti on through continued allergen injection could also downregulate IgE production by shifting the predominance of antigen-specific TH2 T lymphocytes to TH1 cells or by inducing specific T cell tolerance.
Manufacturing arthropod and mammalian allergen extracts
Published in Richard F. Lockey, Dennis K. Ledford, Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy, 2020
Enrique Fernández-Caldas, Eva Abel Fernández, Jonathan Kilimajer, Seong H. Cho
Allergen source materials are obtained from controlled and audited suppliers with a certificate of analysis confirming collection methods and sources. An expiration date should be assigned to the source materials based on stability studies and a code should be received to enable testing and tracking according to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements. Pollen source materials are collected by specialized companies and are subjected to strong quality regulations and processes, and they include purity, foreign contaminations, and stability data [16]. Raw materials from mites are grown in specialized facilities and are also subject to regulatory controls [17,18]. Animal dander is collected from housed animals and is accompanied with a certificate from a veterinary doctor stating that the animals are healthy and free of infectious and contagious agents [19]. In most European countries, allergen production is regulated mainly by the Guideline on Allergen Products: Production and Quality Issues [20] and the Monograph on Allergen Extracts of the European Pharmacopoeia [21].
The respiratory system
Published in C. Simon Herrington, Muir's Textbook of Pathology, 2020
The aetiology of asthma is multifactorial. Atopic asthma is a type 1 hypersensitivity reaction commonly triggered by a variety of environmental allergens, including dust, pollen, and house dust mite. Exposure to the allergen in the first 2–3 years appears important, providing the stimulus for airway sensitization. Breastfeeding protects babies against the disease. Infections such as measles may be protective, especially if occurring in the first year. The keeping of pets may be important, because animal dander is an aeroallergen.
Effects of styrene monomer on a mouse model of atopic dermatitis
Published in Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology, 2023
Michitaka Tanaka, Ken-ichiro Inoue, Akiko Honda, Natsuko Miyasaka, Eiko Koike, Rie Yanagisawa, Hirohisa Takano
We determined clinical atopic dermatitis-like skin lesion (ADSL) scores 48 h after each subcutaneous injection (n = 12 to 15 in each group), using a modification of the previously described method [6]. We scored symptoms of skin dryness and dander as follows: 0, no symptoms; 0.5, mild symptoms; and 1, moderate symptoms. The presence of erythema was scored as follows: 0, no symptoms; 0.5, very mild symptoms; and 1, mild symptoms. Crusting and erosion were scored as follows: 0, no symptoms; 0.5, very mild symptoms; 1, mild symptoms; 2, moderate symptoms; 3, severe symptoms; and 4, most severe symptoms. To measure ear thickness, we used a gauge (Ozaki Mfg., Tokyo, Japan). The total clinical severity score was defined as the sum of the individual scores of the measured symptoms.
Histology-based blood leukocyte profiling reveals parallel Th2 and Th17 signatures in seasonal allergic rhinitis
Published in Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 2022
Premkumar Siddhuraj, Franziska U. Nordström, Prajakta Jogdand, Gayathri Elangovan, Michiko Mori, Leif Bjermer, Lennart Greiff, Jonas S. Erjefält
Sixteen patients with seasonal AR participated (mean age 26, range 20-39 years). Inclusion criteria were a history of seasonal AR for at least two years and a positive skin prick (Soluprick, ALK, Hørsholm, Denmark) test to birch pollen or other seasonal allergen (15 of the patients were allergic to birch pollen) (Table 1). Serum-specific IgE was not included in the protocol. Exclusion criteria was chronic nasal disease (i.e. chronic rhinosinusitis or perennial AR), moderate-to-severe asthma, and recent respiratory tract infections. Individuals with a positive skin prick test to house dust mite or animal dander were allowed to participate if they did not present any perennial symptoms and if they were not exposed to allergen-relevant animals. The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Board (2016/166) and informed consent was obtained. Leukocyte profiles were explored in peripheral blood samples collected during the Swedish birch pollen season in the spring and off-season late in the autumn.
Family, neighborhood and psychosocial environmental factors and their associations with asthma in Australia: a systematic review and Meta-analysis
Published in Journal of Asthma, 2022
K. M. Shahunja,, Peter D. Sly,, Tahmina Begum, Tuhin Biswas, Abdullah Mamun
Although house dust mite and fungi exposures were associated with asthma-symptoms in some studies in Australia, the pooled estimate was not statistically significant. Some studies showed that the overall association with asthma-symptoms varied with the sensitization of different concentrations of HDM in the household (42,44–46). The odds for asthma-symptoms were different for HDM in different locations (bed, floor, etc.) (45), and for different allergens such as Der p 1, Der f 1, or in different concentrations (42–45). Dog dander is the principal source of Can f 1, and cat dander for Fel d 1 allergens (76). In places where pets live, the concentrations of HDM and these allergens are found to be higher. Therefore, the generalization of the association of all HDM and having furry pets with asthma-symptoms would be difficult. Similar findings occur in the case of fungi exposure. In meta-analysis, we did not find any overall significant association between increased amount (100 spores/m3) of total fungal spores’ exposure and asthma-symptoms. However, some studies showed that specific fungal spores such as Cladosporium, Alternaria, and Coprinus had significantly higher associations with asthma-symptoms (40–42).