Asia Pac Allergy.  2014 Oct;4(4):241-252. 10.5415/apallergy.2014.4.4.241.

House dust mite allergy: environment evaluation and disease prevention

• Yu SJ
• Liao EC
• Tsai JJ

• KMID: 2397105
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5415/apallergy.2014.4.4.241

Abstract

There are two groups of dust mites, house dust mites (HDMs) and storage mites (SMs), that have been identified in the household environment. Both could induce airway inflammation through activation of innate and adaptive immunity and lead to asthma. In order to monitor environmental dust mite infestation, different methods can be used to detect their presence, such as the use of floating methods, monoclonal antibodies, and nanostructured biosensor. SM could be identified in the storage room, mainly in contaminated food such as mushrooms and corn starch. In HDM-sensitive subjects and mice that were challenged with HDM or SM after sensitization, these mites could up-regulate IgE levels, T helper 2 associated cytokine production and airway hypersensitivity. Different age groups of subjects were sensitized by different species of mites. More subjects above 70 years were sensitized by SM and more subjects below the age of 40 years were sensitized to HDM. Different allergenic components of dust mite extracts, such as Der p 1, Der p 2, could activate innate immunity through activating pattern recognition receptor (PRR) and then lead to allergic inflammation. The best modality to treat HDM allergy is immunomodulation through Treg cells and IgA production. In the recent years, many studies indicated probiotics could increase IgA secretion and the number of Treg cells. However, some studies conducted in adults have contradictory effects in reducing allergic symptoms. Therefore, probiotics confer inconclusive benefits on the allergic symptoms.

Keyword

House dust mite; Allergic rhinitis; Innate immunity; Probiotics

MeSH Terms

Acaridae
Adaptive Immunity
Adult
Agaricales
Animals
Antibodies, Monoclonal
Asthma
Biosensing Techniques
Dust*
Family Characteristics
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Immunity, Innate
Immunoglobulin A
Immunoglobulin E
Immunomodulation
Inflammation
Mice
Mite Infestations
Mites
Probiotics
Pyroglyphidae*
Rhinitis, Allergic
Starch
T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory
Zea mays
Antibodies, Monoclonal
Dust
Immunoglobulin A
Immunoglobulin E
Starch

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Number of house dust mites isolated from mattresses and carpets from April 2010 to March 2011.

• 

  Fig. 2 Schematic drawing of different detection methods with different sensitivity. (A) Flat chamber coated with detection monoclonal antibodies (MoAb). (B) Concave chamber with Au thin film as electrode then coated with MoAb. (C) Concave chamber with Au nanoparticle thin film as electrode then coated with MoAb.

• 

  Fig. 3 Schematic diagram of the roles of microbiota and allergen in allergen-induced allergic inflammation. IL, interleukin; TGF, transforming growth factor.

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