Mite antigen and allergen contents of house dust samples

The house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) antigen and allergen contents were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with enzyme-labelled anti-human IgE and anti-mite rabbit IgG antibodies. Antigen content was high in dust samples from homes of patients with allergy but not in samples from homes of patients with Kawasaki disease or of normal control subjects. Allergen content was high in dust samples from homes of Kawasaki disease patients. However, the values overlapped, and we considered these differences to be of little ecological significance, although the assay method itself is useful.