DEFINED EPITOPES - IN-VIVO AND IN-VITRO STUDIES USING RECOMBINANT ALLERGENS

Background: The aim of the studies was to investigate the biologic act ivity of recombinant cockroach and mite allergens and their potential for use in diagnosis and treatment of allergic disease. Methods: Cockr oach allergens Bla g 2, Bla g 4 and Bla g 5 and mite group 5 allergens were produced in bacterial expression vectors and used for immediate skin and serum IgE antibody tests. Results: The cockroach allergens sh owed very good skin test reactivity in allergic patients, giving posit ive reactions at 10(-2)-10(-5) mu g/ml; controls were negative at 10 d egrees mu g/ml. These reactions correlated with serum IgE antibody res ults. The prevalence of reactivity to group 5 mite allergens varied wi th exposure. There was a high prevalence (70%) of sensitization to Blo mia tropicalis allergen, Blo t 5, among patients from Brazil and Singa pore, whereas <20% of patients from Charlottesville, US and Manchester . UK gave positive skill tests to Blo t 5 (p<0.001). Conclusions: The results show that recombinant allergens retain biologic activity and s uggest that cocktails of two to four recombinant allergens could be us ed for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. The phased introduction of recombinant allergens should improve the management of allergic diseas e.