COMPARISON OF ALLERGEN EXTRACTS FROM MITE S OF DIFFERENT MANUFACTURERS BY RAST INHIBITION AND WESTERN BLOTTING

Allergen extracts of the mite species Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus a nd D. farinae from four different manufacturers were compared using RA ST inhibition and Western blotting analysis. Varying RAST inhibition p otencies of several extracts indicated a different composition of thes e extracts. Western blotting demonstrated differences between several extracts when manufacturers were compared. However, differences betwee n two extracts demonstrated by RAST inhibition do not correlate with d ifferences found by Western blotting in every case. Two extracts showe d different RAST inhibition potencies but had a similar protein patter n as demonstrated by Western blotting. From these findings we conclude d that Western blotting is only of limited value for the variability i n allergen extracts as indicated by RAST inhibition. Reasons for these findings could be due to differences in allergen-coated RAST paper di scs and/or an incomplete detection of the allergen epitopes using West ern blotting.