The objective of this descriptive study was to determine Felis domesticus (cat) and Canis familiaris (dog) protein epitopes that bind strongly to selected HLA class II alleles to identify synthetic vaccine candidate epitopes and to identify individuals/populations who are likely to respond to vaccines. FASTA amino acid sequences of experimentally validated allergenic proteins of house cat and d...

Increasingly, cat (Felis catus) advocates are establishing feeding stations or cat colonies in public parks and often claim that the well-fed cats pose little threat to wildlife populations. This claim was tested on East Bay Regional Park District land east of San Francisco, California during 1995 and 1996. Rodents were livetrapped on 100-trap grids for 8 nights at 9 sites (5 in 1995) in a no c...

BACKGROUND The major cat allergen, Fel d 1, is a tetrameric glycoprotein composed of 2 heterodimers. Polymorphisms in this allergen are well documented. Recent work shows that Fel d 1 samples can contain core fragments of variable immunoreactivity. OBJECTIVES Our objective was to compare Fel d 1 polymorphism in cat extracts and house dust, which is used as an indicator of allergen exposure an...

BACKGROUND Although asthma is strongly associated with immediate hypersensitivity to indoor allergens, several studies have suggested that a cat in the house can decrease the risk of asthma. We investigated the immune response to cat and mite allergens, and asthma among children with a wide range of allergen exposure. METHODS We did a population-based cross-sectional study of children (aged 1...

A follow-up questionnaire survey was conducted with 29 cat owners who adopted cats from an animal hospital in Japan. Physical characteristics were found to be important factors for the owners when choosing a cat. There were significant differences between impression of the cat for the owners at present and images of their ideal cats, and the levels of aggression and activeness of the cats at pr...

We report H5N1 virus infection in a domestic cat infected by eating a pigeon carcass. The virus isolated from the pigeon and the cat showed the same cluster as the viruses obtained during the outbreak in Thailand. Since cats are common house pets, concern regarding disease transmission to humans exists.

An intensive care nurse with eczema was repeatedly treated for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) carriage. Because cultures remained positive for MRSA, her house was investigated. Thirty-four percent of environmental samples yielded MRSA. Her children and cat were free of MRSA. The house was decontaminated with gaseous ozone. All subsequent cultures were negative for MRSA. This...

BACKGROUND Cross-sectional studies have reported a lower prevalence of sensitization in older adults, but few longitudinal studies have examined whether this is an aging or a year-of-birth cohort effect. OBJECTIVE We sought to assess changes in sensitization and total IgE levels in a cohort of European adults as they aged over a 20-year period. METHODS Levels of serum specific IgE to common...