AIRBORNE CAT (FEL-D-I), DOG (CAN-F-I), AND MITE (DER-I AND DER-II) ALLERGEN LEVELS IN THE HOMES OF JAPAN

We measured the airborne and floor dust allergen levels of the cat (Fe l d I), dog (Can f I), and mite (Der I and Der II) allergens in 13 hou ses. Airborne allergens were sampled with a low-noise air sampler for 5 to 7 days in the living rooms where the inhabitants were living as u suaL. The mean levels of airborne Fel d I and Can f I in houses with c ats or dogs were 5960 and 2880 pg/m3, respectively, which were about 1 60 and 100 times higher than levels of airborne Der L In floor dust th e mean levels of Fel d I and Can f I were 322 and 236 mug/gm fine dust , respectively which were 59 and 10 times higher than the levels of De r L These results suggest that the airborne cat and dog allergens migh t be important sources of allergens for persons who live in a house wi th those animals, because the absolute allergen levels in both the air and dust are significantly higher than those of mite.