House dust mite allergy in Southern Africa — historical perspective and current status

Worms: Pernicious parasites or allies against allergies?

“…Multiple epidemiological studies have been used to support this hypothesis by indicating that in helminth‐endemic rural areas relatively few people have allergic symptoms . The fact that some local African languages contain no words to describe allergic symptoms could support this hypothesis, indicating that allergic diseases have never been a problem among these populations …”

Mite and cockroach sensitisation in patients with allergic rhinitis in the Free State

“…These levels are reflected in the rate of house-dust mite allergy in South Africa, which ranges between 65.5% and 95% in atopic patients in the humid coastal areas of South Africa and between 25% and 45% in the dry inland regions. 4 House-dust mites require a relative humidity of between 55% and 73% in the temperature range of 15 o C to 35 o C and die from dehydration if the relative humidity is below 51%. 13 D. pteronyssinus has slightly higher relative humidity requirements than D. farinae, with D. farinae better surviving long periods of low relative humidity.…”

“…The prevalence of house-dust mite sensitisation in this study is still lower than the prevalence of house-dust mite sensitisation in atopic patients in the coastal areas. [4][5][6][7] House-dust mite levels have been studied in various towns and cities in South Africa and have been found to be higher along the humid coastal regions and usually lower in the inland areas of high altitude where the climate is characterised by wide 24-hour temperature fluctuations and lower relative humidity. These levels are reflected in the rate of house-dust mite allergy in South Africa, which ranges between 65.5% and 95% in atopic patients in the humid coastal areas of South Africa and between 25% and 45% in the dry inland regions.…”

“…3 These studies showed a high prevalence of grass pollen sensitisation and a lower level of house-dust mite sensitisation than in the coastal areas, where between 65% and 95% of atopic patients are sensitised to house-dust mites. [4][5][6][7] Despite there being a large farming population, there was a low prevalence of sensitisation to the storage mite Lepidoglypghus destructor. 1 No studies have been performed on sensitisation to the other storage mites or to spider mites in the Free State.…”

Comparison of major peanut allergens Ara h 1, Ara h 2 and Ara h 3 between peanut cultivars from Côte d’Ivoire and the USA using SDS PAGE and Western Blots

“…Further, people living in grasslands, in a traditional setting, with traditional dietary practices rarely suffer from allergic diseases [11,12] . Food allergy seems to be uncommon in the general population, but more frequently occurring in children (up to8%) compared with adults (2%).…”