Culture of Blomia tropicalis and IgE immunoblot characterization of its allergenicity

Blomia tropicalis is an important triggering factor for allergic diseases s uch as asthma, rhinitis and atopic dermatitis in tropical and subtropical r egions, which climate favours the growth of this species. Our previous mite fauna study revealed that Blomia tropicalis is the most dominant species p resent in Singapore house dust. The main objective of this study is to esta blish a mass culture of Blomia tropicalis for further characterization of t he antigenic and molecular properties of this mite. Approximately one gram of mites could be obtained for every 300-gram of culture medium by culturin g under natural condition with a mean annual temperature of 30 degrees C an d a mean relative humidity of 80%, and harvested by modified Tullgren funne l. Allergen characterization by IgE immunoblot analysis with crude mite ext racts showed some IgE reactivity differences between Blomia tropicalis mite extract from Singapore and Colombia. The possible reasons for these findin gs are the quality and source of the mite protein extracts used, or selecti ve differences in the population under evaluation. Further, the atopic sera tested showed differences in the pattern and intensity of IgE immunoblot r eactivity to crude extracts of Blomia tropicalis and Dermatophagoides ptero nyssinus, the other highly prevalent mite in Singapore. These data support the existence of species-specific allergens. In conclusion, we have been su ccessful in setting up B. tropicalis mass cultures and have prepared extrac ts of high allergenicity.