IDENTIFICATION OF COCKROACH AEROALLERGENS FROM LIVING CULTURES OF GERMAN OR AMERICAN COCKROACHES

The Air Sentinel and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) membranes were use d to capture airborne particles over living colonies of German or Amer ican cockroaches. Silver-stained SDS-PAGE gels revealed protein bands at 80, 55, 36, and several bands below the 33-kD marker. SDS-PAGE/immu noblots of PTFE eluates from German cockroach colonies incubated with serum from cockroach-sensitive individuals revealed IgE-binding bands with apparent molecular weights of 36 and 80 kD. Only the 36-kD allerg en and allergens below the 33-kD marker were evident in the American P TFE eluate. ELISA analysis with a monoclonal antibody assay identified the presence of both Bla g I and Bla g II in the German PTFE eluate. No Bla g I or Bla g II could be identified in the American PTFE eluate . These studies demonstrate that in addition to Bla g I and Bla g II, several other aerosolized allergens become airborne over cockroach col onies and may be important in the environment where cockroaches are ab undant.