Allergy Asthma Immunol Res.  2014 May;6(3):196-200. 10.4168/aair.2014.6.3.196.

Current Status of Standardization of Inhalant Allergen Extracts in Korea

• Jeong KY
• Lee JH
• Kim EJ
• Lee JS
• Cho SH
• Hong SJ
• Park JW

• KMID: 2260680
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2014.6.3.196

Abstract

Allergy diagnosis and immunotherapy in Korea rely mostly on imported allergen extracts. However, some allergens that are not important in Western countries are not commercially available, and even the same species of allergen source often displays differences in allergenicity due to amino acid sequence polymorphisms. Therefore, it is essential to prepare allergen extracts that reflect regional characteristics. Allergen standardization has been performed since 2009 with the support of the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Here, we summarize the current status of allergen standardization, focusing on the house dust mite and cockroach. Pollen allergens that are under investigation are also briefly described.

Keyword

Allergen; allergen extract; standardization

MeSH Terms

Allergens
Amino Acid Sequence
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.)
Cockroaches
Diagnosis
Hypersensitivity
Immunotherapy
Korea
Pollen
Pyroglyphidae
Allergens

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Inhibition analysis of house dust mite extracts. The specific IgE antibody binding activities of D. pteronyssinus extracts were compared by ELISA. □, American reference material from CBER; ▴, Korean reference material; ▵, HollisterStier extract.

• 

  Fig. 2 Proteomic analysis of German cockroach extract. Proteins were separated by 2D-electrophoresis and visualized by Coomassie Blue staining (A), and IgE-reactive components were probed with a pooled serum from cockroach-sensitized subjects (B). Selected proteins were identified by MS/MS analysis (B1-4). The data are summarized in Table.

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