BACKGROUND Environmental control to reduce the amount of allergens in a living place is thought to be important to avoid sensitization to airborne allergens. However, efficacy of environmental control on inactivation of airborne allergens is not fully investigated. We have previously reported that positively- and negatively-charged plasma cluster ions (PC-ions) reduce the IgE-binding capacity o...

BACKGROUND There are indications that polyposis is somehow related to allergic phenomena. Fungal sensitization in substantial proportions of patients has been cited as a trigger of inflammatory mechanisms involving either an immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated reaction to fungal colonization or fungal invasion of tissues. OBJECTIVE To confirm whether fungi were involved in the development of polyp...

Background— (1–3)-β-D-glucan is a fungal cell wall component, suspected to cause respiratory symptoms in adults. However, very little is known on the possible health effects of (1–3)-β-D-glucan during infancy. We examined the association between (1–3)-β-D-glucan exposure and the prevalence of allergen sensitization and wheezing during the first year of life in a birth cohort of 574 infants born...

We measured the number of airborne, viable fungi and house dust mite (HDM) allergen levels in the homes of a group of asthmatic children. Blood samples were drawn and the amounts of total and specific serum IgE were determined. The association between the number of fungal colonies, dust mite allergen exposure, and specific and total IgE was evaluated. The number of viable airborne fungi was hig...

The 37-kDa recombinant protein Asp f 2, encoding an allergen of Aspergillus fumigatus, was expressed in a prokaryotic expression system and immunologically evaluated for its functional and structural properties. The open reading frame for a 310-amino-acid-long protein was shown to encode a signal peptide of 31 amino acids. A native 37-kDa culture filtrate protein and a 55-kDa mycelial glycoprot...

Background: The cultivation of saffron is expanding through the southeast of Iran, and allergy to saffron pollen occurs in workers involved in processing this plant. We aimed to clone, sequence and express a major allergen involved in saffron pollen allergy, and to compare the recombinant with the natural allergen. Methods: The N-terminal amino acid sequence of Cro s 1, an allergen from saff...

Asthma is frequently caused and/or exacerbated by sensitization to fungal allergens, which are ubiquitous in many indoor and outdoor environments. Severe asthma with fungal sensitization is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and bronchial constriction in response to an inhaled allergen that is worsened by environmental exposure to airborne fungi and which leads to a disease course that...

Background: There is evidence to demonstrate an association between fungal sensitization and asthma. Several studies have shown that saprophytic fungi such as Alternaria, Penicillium and Aspergillus species are the most prevalent fungal allergens worldwide. The main purpose of this study was to compare Alternaria alternata, Penicillium ci...

240 Mold Sensitization in Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients Radoslaw Gawlik, MD, PhD, and Eugeniusz Czecior, MD, PhD. Internal Medicine, Allergy and Clin Immunology, Silesian University of Medicine, Katowice, Poland; Silesian University of Medicine, Zabrze, Poland. Background: It is estimated that about 10% of the population have IgE antibodies to common inhalant molds. Exposure to fungal allerge...

240 Mold Sensitization in Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients Radoslaw Gawlik, MD, PhD, and Eugeniusz Czecior, MD, PhD. Internal Medicine, Allergy and Clin Immunology, Silesian University of Medicine, Katowice, Poland; Silesian University of Medicine, Zabrze, Poland. Background: It is estimated that about 10% of the population have IgE antibodies to common inhalant molds. Exposure to fungal allerge...