Quantification of group 5 grass pollen allergens in house dust

• Published in: Clinical and experimental allergy 2000-11, Vol.30 (11), p.1646-1652
• Main Authors: Fahlbusch, B., Hornung, D., Heinrich, J., Dahse, H.-M., JÄger, L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: grass pollen allergen; indoor allergen exposure; quantification; seasonal fluctuation; settled dust
• ISSN: 0954-7894; 1365-2222
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2222.2000.00926.x

Background It is widely known and accepted that grass pollen is a major outdoor cause of hay fever. However, it is of virtual importance for grass pollen allergic patients with symptoms all the year round to know the concentration of grass pollen allergens in their homes. Objective The main objective of this study was to quantify the amount of grass pollen allergen in mass units (μg Phl p 5) in dust settled indoors and to detect the distribution of allergenic activity in different sampling locations of homes. Furthermore, we studied the seasonal fluctuation of allergen content in dust samples. Methods We adapted the two site binding assay for detection of group 5 grass pollen allergens in samples from randomly selected homes in Hamburg (n = 371), Erfurt (n = 396), Hettstedt (n = 353), Zerbst (n = 289) and Bitterfeld (n = 226), Germany. Dust samples were collected from floor of living room (LR), bedroom (BR) or children's room (CR) and mattress (MA) during period of June 1995 to August 1998. The amount of the major grass group 5 allergens was detected in μg/g dust. Results Phl p 5 was detected in 67% of the samples analysed (n = 4760). The range was between undetectable (