IgE antibodies to D. pteronyssinus in atopic patients.

An aqueous house dust mite extract was separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose membranes by Western Blotting. Two major allergens, Der pI and Der pII associated with the mite faeces and body, respectively, were identified on the protein blot. The blot was then probed with atopic sera and the bound antibodies were labelled with 125I anti-IgE and visualized by autoradiography. Using this technique it is shown that serum samples from eczema patients contain a higher proportion of anti-mite body IgE antibodies, whereas those from asthma patients contain a higher proportion of antibodies against the major mite faecal allergen Der pI. Minor mite body allergens are also shown to be important in eczematous patients. The role of mite allergens in atopic conditions is discussed, along with the significance of the findings presented here.