Abstract

Mites of the family Pyroglyphidae are the most important source of house dust mite allergens. A small number of allergens, namely those of groups 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 constitute the known major and mid-potency specificities, with possible important contributions of the groups 11, 14 and 15 requiring further definition. Most of the allergens can be identified by sequence homologies and the structures of the major allergens have been solved. There are however challenges in determining the nature of the group 5 and 7 allergens and in obtaining detailed structures of the significant allergens to be used for genetic engineering.

Keywords: House dust mite, allergens, allergy, Dermatophagoides, polymorphism, structure