Identification of allergens from the mite Blomia tropicalis

Abstract

In some tropical areas the mite Blomia tropicalis is a clinically important allergenic component of house dust, inducing specific IgE immune response in patients with allergic respiratory diseases such as asthma and rhinitis. The identification of allergens of this mite is necessary to obtain appropriate reagents for diagnostic and treatment procedures. We carried out this study using immunoblotting to detect the allergens of B. tropicalis. Our results demonstrate that this mite has one major allergen (11-13 kDa) and three other important allergens with about 50% binding (64, 36 and 33 kDa). Therefore, B. tropicalis should be regarded as an important source of allergens in the house dust in tropical areas, besides those derived from other mites.