Clinical significance and allergenic cross-reactivity of Euroglyphus maynei and other nonpyroglyphid and pyroglyphid mites.

The clinical significance and allergenic cross-reactivity of the storage mites Lepidoglyphus destructor and Acarus siro and the house dust mites Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Euroglyphus maynei were investigated with specific IgE antibodies by use of the RAST and the RAST-inhibition technique. RAST-positive sera were obtained from 64 Swedish farmers whose test results were positive to at least one of the four mite species. E. maynei was shown to be a common cause of sensitization among the whole farming population with a prevalence of 4.5% of positive RAST reactions. Farmers with asthma alone or in combination with rhinitis were more often sensitized to storage mites and house dust mites than farmers with rhinitis only. No significant correlation was found between positive RAST resuts to L. destructor and E. maynei on the one hand and L. destructor and D. pteronyssinus on the other. Statistical significance was reached only between RAST results to E. maynei and D. pteryonssinus. However, by RAST-inhibition studies E. maynei was shown to possess its own unique allergen(s).