Investigation of House Dust Mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) Allergen Extracts Prepared from Purified Mite Bodies and Whole Mite Culture

Allergen extracts prepared from purified mite bodies (PMB) and whole mite culture (WMC) were investigated by using in vivo and in vitro methods. PMB showed a more complex allergen pattern than WMC. In PMB, 6 out of 16 allergens could be detected as major allergens. In WMC, 5 out of 10 allergens could be detected as major allergens. Both extracts contained the same amount of the major allergen Der p I. By skin prick testing comparable results were obtained with both extracts. Investigation of the reproducibility showed that 15 production lots of PMB could be produced in a high conformity according to their allergenic potency and their protein and allergen composition.