Allergon mite allergens
Our house dust mites are manufactured under pharmaceutical conditions in a process similar to cell cultivation. Due to the mites’ sensitivity to low humidity and surrounding temperature, they are grown in humidity and temperature controlled cultivation. Strict hygiene measures are taken to protect the cultures from infection by e.g. predator mites and dust lice.
See a selection of our most common mite allergens
Growth substrates
The mites are grown in Roux bottles on a powdered solid growth substrate containing the nutrients necessary to promote growth and allergen expression. Since allergen expression is dependent on the growth substrate, different substrates are used for different mite qualities.
Cultivation time
A system with seed culture batches is used to maintain viable production strains. At the start of a production campaign, a seed culture is used to inoculate a starter culture, which is then propagated into a production batch. Typical growing time of each step is one to three months depending on the mite species, growth substrate and customer specification. Cultivation time is critical for the allergen content and for the overall performance of the final allergen source material.
Harvest
At the time of harvest, growth is stopped and the mites are processed into whole body mites, purified mites, semi-purified mites or whole culture mites. Sifted mites, our traditional mite quality, are prepared by mechanically separating the mite bodies from the remaining growth substrate; this is a labor intensive process that for large quantities is not feasible.
Purified mites
Purified mites were developed in response to the growing demand of house dust mites for sublingual immunotherapy. The process produces purified mites of different life-stages and the process is designed to be scalable to meet the growing industry demand. Semi-purified mites are prepared by a rough separation of the growth substrate and the mites. Whole culture mites are prepared using the entire culture containing mites, mite fecal particles and remaining growth substrate.
About mite allergens
Mites are microscopic organisms belonging to the spider family. Two main groups of mites are known to cause respiratory allergy; house dust mites and storage mites. House dust mites are commonly found in human homes whereas storage mites are typically found in hay and grain storage facilities. We manufacture three types of house dust mites: Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides microceras, and four types of storage mites: Blomia tropicalis, Lepidoglyphus destructor, Acarus siro and Tyrophagus putrescentiae.
House dust mites
Globally, allergenic proteins from house dust mites are the major triggers of respiratory allergy. In fact, it is believed that approximately 50 % of all allergic patients are sensitive to allergens from house dust mites. House dust mite allergy often manifests both as rhinitis and asthma, and many patients remain sub-optimally treated.
House dust mites have a complicated life-cycle, spanning egg, larva and nymph stages, before developing into an adult mite. They thrive in humid climates and are found in the homes of humans, especially in beds or textiles, such as carpets, where they feed on human skin scales and microorganisms. Due to their inability to drink, they are dependent on a humid micro-climate to absorb water. The typical life span of a house dust mite is approximately two months, including approximately one month in the development stages. The typical size of an adult mite is 0.25-0.35 mm.
Most relevant from a clinical perspective are the two species Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae. These two species are both well distributed all over the world and their allergens are highly cross-reactive. Out of the more than 15 different allergenic proteins that have been identified from each species, group 1 and group 2 allergens (i.e. Der p/f 1 and Der p/f2), are recognized as the most clinically important. However, evidence suggests that other allergens can also play a role in house dust mite allergy.
Our most common mite allergens
This is a selection of our mite allergens. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional requests for allergen source material.
| Article No. | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| 4966 | Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, purified mite |
| 4956 | Dermatophagoides farinae, purified mite |
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info.allergon@allergon.com