Characterization of allergens in a crude extract of Dermatophagoides farinae and their identification in a new purified preparation.

The allergens of a crude D. farinae extract were identified by means of crossed radioimmunoelectrophoresis (CRIE). A total of 11 allergens were identified. They were characterized as three major, three intermediate and five minor allergens, based on radiostaining in CRIE. In addition to the radiostaining due to allergens, some misleading radiostaining was observed associated with some of the other antigens. A purified commercially available preparation, Spectralgen Mite D. farinae, was compared with the crude extract by means of immunoelectrophoretic techniques and radioallergosorbent test (RAST) based techniques. The purified preparation was found to be fully representative of the allergens in the crude extract. All 11 allergens were identified in the purified preparation. The purification ratio of the allergens varied from 2 to 7, while the total specific allergenic activity was approximately 6 times higher in the purified preparation than in the crude extract, as judged from RAST-inhibition studies.