Arruda L K, Chapman M D
Department of Pediatrics, University of São Paulo School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
Curr Opin Pulm Med. 2001 Jan;7(1):14-9. doi: 10.1097/00063198-200101000-00003.
Cockroach allergy has been recognized as an important cause of asthma. Cockroach asthma has been described as a more severe disease, associated with perennial symptoms and high levels of total IgE. Cockroaches produce several allergens that induce sensitization, and exposure to high levels of cockroach allergens in the home is a major risk factor for symptoms in sensitized individuals. Previously identified allergens from Blattella germanica and Periplaneta americana, the most important domiciliary species, include Bla g 2 (inactive aspartic protease), Bla g 4 (calycin), Bla g 5 (glutathione-S-transferase), Bla g 6 (troponin), the Group 1 cross-reactive allergens Bla g 1 and Per a 1, Per a 3 (arylphorin), and Per a 7 (tropomyosin). Strategies for decreasing environmental exposure to cockroach have been recently investigated. The results suggest that a sustained decrease in cockroach allergen levels is difficult to accomplish, even after successful extermination of cockroach populations. Cockroach allergens have been cloned and produced as recombinant proteins in high-level expression vectors. The use of recombinant cockroach allergens should allow mechanisms of cockroach-induced asthma to be investigated and may lead to the development of new approaches to asthma treatment in the future.
蟑螂过敏已被确认为哮喘的一个重要病因。蟑螂性哮喘被描述为一种更严重的疾病，与常年性症状和高水平的总免疫球蛋白E相关。蟑螂会产生多种诱导致敏的过敏原，在家中接触高水平的蟑螂过敏原是致敏个体出现症状的主要危险因素。先前从最重要的家居蟑螂物种德国小蠊和美洲大蠊中鉴定出的过敏原包括Bla g 2（无活性天冬氨酸蛋白酶）、Bla g 4（钙结合蛋白）、Bla g 5（谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶）、Bla g 6（肌钙蛋白）、第1组交叉反应性过敏原Bla g 1和Per a 1、Per a 3（芳基蛋白）以及Per a 7（原肌球蛋白）。最近对减少环境中蟑螂接触的策略进行了研究。结果表明，即使在成功消灭蟑螂种群后，也很难持续降低蟑螂过敏原水平。蟑螂过敏原已被克隆，并在高水平表达载体中作为重组蛋白生产。重组蟑螂过敏原的使用应有助于研究蟑螂诱发哮喘的机制，并可能在未来导致哮喘治疗新方法的开发。
