Department of Medicine, Mackay Medical College, No. 46, Sec. 3, Zhongzheng Rd., Sanzhi Dist., New Taipei City, 252, Taiwan.
Department of Dermatology, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
Exp Appl Acarol. 2020 Mar;80(3):381-398. doi: 10.1007/s10493-019-00453-6. Epub 2020 Feb 6.
Sensitization to mites is a considerable factor in the development of allergic diseases. Because of its abundance, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Tp) is the predominant storage mite found in home storage rooms, kitchens, and bakeries. Patients allergic to mites might exhibit a severely hypersensitive reaction upon ingesting Tp-contaminated food. The objective of this study was to investigate the rates of Tp contamination in commercial storage products from various areas, storage conditions, and environments in Taiwan. A specific antibody against Tyr p 3, the allergen on Tp, could be used as an indicator to monitor the contamination condition in storage foods. The microscopic mite examination, allergen detection by ELISA and cultured mite chemotaxis were used to evaluate the prevalence of T. putrescentiae contamination. Moreover, the IgE responses of patients allergic to mites were examined. We found that pet food and mushrooms were commonly contaminated with Tp, and this was validated through Tyr p 3 concentration and chemotaxis experiments. Tp contamination rates decreased significantly when samples were sealed and stored at a low temperature (< 4 °C), low relative humidity (RH < 60%), or for longer periods at a low temperature. The results of the clinical study indicated that the mites that elicited major positive IgE responses in allergic subjects were Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and D. farinae. Thus, people who are sensitized to D. pteronyssinus or D. farinae might be at risk of a second anaphylactic reaction due to cross-reactivity upon ingestion of Tp-contaminated food. Accordingly, Tp contamination can be prevented by keeping food packages sealed and stored at a low temperature. This prevents the severe allergic reaction caused by the inadvertent ingestion of contaminated food-borne Tp.
致敏原是引发过敏疾病的重要因素之一。由于其丰富的数量，腐食酪螨（Tyrophagus putrescentiae，Tp）是家庭储存室、厨房和面包房中主要的储存螨。对螨虫过敏的患者在摄入受 Tp 污染的食物后可能会产生严重的过敏反应。本研究旨在调查台湾不同地区、储存条件和环境下商业储存产品中 Tp 的污染率。针对 Tp 的过敏原 Tyr p 3 的特异性抗体可作为监测储存食品污染状况的指标。通过显微镜下螨虫检查、ELISA 过敏原检测和培养螨虫趋化性来评估 T. putrescentiae 污染的流行情况。此外，还检测了对螨虫过敏的患者的 IgE 反应。我们发现宠物食品和蘑菇通常受到 Tp 的污染，通过 Tyr p 3 浓度和趋化性实验得到了验证。当样品密封并在低温（<4°C）、低相对湿度（RH<60%）或低温下储存较长时间时，Tp 污染率显著降低。临床研究结果表明，在过敏患者中引发主要阳性 IgE 反应的螨虫是屋尘螨和粉尘螨。因此，对屋尘螨或粉尘螨敏感的人可能会因误食受 Tp 污染的食物而产生交叉反应，导致二次过敏反应的风险增加。因此，通过保持食品包装密封并储存在低温下可以防止 Tp 污染。这可以防止因误食受污染的食物源性 Tp 而引起的严重过敏反应。
