BACKGROUND: Previous studies investigating cat characteristics and cat allergen production focused on clinical experiments that quantified allergen from either the shaved skin or the fur of the animal; however, these studies did not address these experimental relationships in the home. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationships between cat characteristics and cat allergen isolated from household dust. METHODS: Fel d 1 allergen levels in dust from homes participating in a population-based study of environmental effect on allergy development were analyzed using a standard monoclonal antibody-based assay. Cat characteristics were based on interviews conducted during home visits by study personnel. RESULTS: Households with any cats had higher geometric mean Fel d 1 levels than households without cats (32.88 vs 0.43; P < .01), and cat allergen levels increased with increasing numbers of cats in the home (P < .01). Length of cat hair, cat sex, reproductive status, and time spent indoors were analyzed; the only characteristic associated with higher levels of Fel d 1 was whether the cat had been neutered or spayed. CONCLUSIONS: Having cats in the home is significantly associated with increased Fel d 1 levels, and having more cats in the home is correlated with more cat allergen. Cat reproductive characteristics may be associated with measurable differences in cat allergen levels.
BACKGROUND: Previous studies investigating cat characteristics and cat allergen production focused on clinical experiments that quantified allergen from either the shaved skin or the fur of the animal; however, these studies did not address these experimental relationships in the home. OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationships between cat characteristics and cat allergen isolated from household dust. METHODS: Fel d 1 allergen levels in dust from homes participating in a population-based study of environmental effect on allergy development were analyzed using a standard monoclonal antibody-based assay. Cat characteristics were based on interviews conducted during home visits by study personnel. RESULTS: Households with any cats had higher geometric mean Fel d 1 levels than households without cats (32.88 vs 0.43; P < .01), and cat allergen levels increased with increasing numbers of cats in the home (P < .01). Length of cat hair, cat sex, reproductive status, and time spent indoors were analyzed; the only characteristic associated with higher levels of Fel d 1 was whether the cat had been neutered or spayed. CONCLUSIONS: Having cats in the home is significantly associated with increased Fel d 1 levels, and having more cats in the home is correlated with more cat allergen. Cat reproductive characteristics may be associated with measurable differences in cat allergen levels.
Authors: Charlotte E Nicholas; Ganesa R Wegienka; Suzanne L Havstad; Edward M Zoratti; Dennis R Ownby; Christine Cole Johnson Journal: Am J Rhinol Allergy Date: 2011 Jul-Aug Impact factor: 2.467
Authors: D R Ownby; E L Peterson; G Wegienka; K J Woodcroft; C Nicholas; E Zoratti; C C Johnson Journal: Indoor Air Date: 2013-02-08 Impact factor: 5.770
Authors: Jay Portnoy; Kevin Kennedy; James Sublett; Wanda Phipatanakul; Elizabeth Matsui; Charles Barnes; Carl Grimes; J David Miller; James M Seltzer; P Brock Williams; Jonathan A Bernstein; David I Bernstein; Joann Blessing-Moore; Linda Cox; David A Khan; David M Lang; Richard A Nicklas; John Oppenheimer Journal: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol Date: 2012-04 Impact factor: 6.347
Authors: Charlotte Nicholas; Ganesa Wegienka; Suzanne Havstad; Edward Zoratti; Dennis Ownby; Christine Cole Johnson Journal: Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol Date: 2010-09 Impact factor: 6.347
Authors: Vanessa Garcia-Larsen; James F Potts; Stefano Del Giacco; Patricia Bustos; Patricia V Diaz; Hugo Amigo; Manuel Oyarzun; Roberto J Rona Journal: BMC Pulm Med Date: 2016-08-08 Impact factor: 3.317