cockroaches is not easy to document, given the precarious hygienic conditions of some of the habitats where they live. In fact, asthma is the only disease consistently associated with exposure to cockroaches [4–6] . Curiously enough, cockroaches have no lungs (they breathe through lateral spiracles in the body) [1] , but inhalation of cockroach materials by humans may trigger IgE antibody respo...

The imported Harmonia axyridis ladybug infests homes in northern West Virginia from fall through spring, causing allergic disease. Retrospective single-practice chart reviews were performed: (1) all skin prick tests (1400 included ladybug) in a community allergy practice over 4 years and (2) clinical analysis of 400 randomly chosen patients. The usual adult aeroallergen skin test panel included...

BACKGROUND Cockroach and mouse allergens have both been implicated as causes in inner-city asthma morbidity in multicenter studies, but whether both allergens are clinically relevant within specific inner-city communities is unclear. OBJECTIVE Our study aimed to identify relevant allergens in Baltimore City. METHODS One hundred forty-four children (5-17 years old) with asthma underwent skin...

BACKGROUND Cockroach allergy and exposure to high levels of this allergen are important in the increasing asthma-related health problems among young inner-city children. However, there are very little data regarding the prevalence of cockroach allergy in infants and young children with asthma. OBJECTIVE This retrospective study was designed to test the hypothesis that cockroach allergy appear...

cockroaches were collected from hospitals, houses and poultry sheds in various parts of isfahan (iran) and identified to species. in total, seven species of cockroaches in seven genera were identified: blatta lateralis, polyphaga aegyptiaca, arenivaga roseni and parcoblatta spp. three species periplaneta americana, blattella germanica and supella longipalpa (blattidae and blattellidae) were mor...

BACKGROUND Allergic sensitization to aeroallergens develops in response to mucosal exposure to these allergens. Allergic sensitization may lead to the development of asthma, which is characterized by chronic airway inflammation. The objective of this study is to describe in detail a model of mucosal exposure to cockroach allergens in the absence of an exogenous adjuvant. METHODS Cockroach ext...

BACKGROUND Cockroaches are of vital importance medically and hygienically. They are able to contaminate foods and act as vectors of pathogenic agents such as bacteria, protozoa, and parasites to human environment either mechanically or through their digestive system. Cockroaches belong to the phylum Arthropoda, class Insecta, and order Blattodea or Blattaria. To date, over 4,500 cockroach speci...