COMPARISON BETWEEN EAST, CRIE, SKIN PRICK TEST AND INTRACUTANEOUS TEST AT CAT-ALLERGIC PATIENTS

Comparison between EAST, CRIE, skin prick test and intracutaneous test at cat-allergic patients. Cats are an important source of allergens a nd are found in numerous German households. In vivo or in vitro techni ques such as skin prick testing, exposition test, and RAST/EAST can be used for the diagnosis of allergy to cars. The aim of our investigati on was to compare the results of a skin prick test and intracutaneous (i.c.) test using cat hair and skin scraping extract (CHSS) with EAST and CRIE. Using the same raw material was a prerequisite for both the in vivo and in vitro tests. In 20 i.c. positive tested cat allergic pa tients we found an 85% correlation between positive EAST and the posit ive skin prick test and a 90% correlation for positive i.c. Allergen d isks prepared using cat hair and skin scrapings and cat dander (CD) ga ve comparable EAST classes (r = 0.96, p < 0.001), but cat dander had a higher content of the major allergen Eel d 1 than the cat hair and sk in scrapings. Both allergen disks were suitable for EAST measurements. Each allergo-print showed IgE antibodies to the allergen Eel d 1 whic h could be classified by allergogram as a major allergen. In vivo and in vitro investigations combined with the anamnesis and a positive exp osition test provide a good basis for the diagnosis of cat allergy and for deciding whether or not the patient should be treated.