Researchers identified molecular origins of allergy to house dust mites read more at here www.spinonews.com/index.php/item/1409-researchers-identified-molecular-origins-of-allergy-to-house-dust-mites

An international research team in Europe has identified the molecular origins of the allergy to house dust mites.

The research team consist of scientists from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Medical University of Vienna, and statisticians from Italy. According to the study's authors, allergic reactions to dust mites begin at the molecular level, and can strengthen over time into much more severe disorder.

Daniela Posa first author of the study, said, Mite allergy develops in childhood like an avalanche. It starts early with only one or a very few molecules and then grows to many. The greater the spreading of molecular sensitization, the higher the risk of developing asthma.

The team examined the data and blood samples prospectively collected over 20 years from a cohort of 722 German children born in 1990 and monitored since their birth in the framework of the Multicenter Allergy Study (MAS).

Scientists used engineered molecules of the mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus alongside nanotechnology procedures to trace the origins of the antibody response during the first decade of the children's lives.

Using this method, the research team found that IgE-antibodies against three dust mite molecules (Der p 1, Der p 2 and Der p 23) appeared early on in childhood, often before the disease developed. Children who continued to produce the molecule were more at risk of developing allergic rhinitis and asthma.

Researchers say, these findings provide a deeper understanding on how house dust mite allergies form, and may provide clues for how to develop more effective methods for predicting and preventing the diseases associated with it.