Insect allergy—Preliminary studies of the cockroach

Environmental tobacco smoke, indoor allergens, and childhood asthma.

“…Like dust mite, most cockroach allergen is only transiently airborne for a short time after disturbance (81 patients without specific sensitization to cockroach extract do not (82,83). In asthmatic children specifically sensitized to cockroach allergen, Bla g 1 levels greater than 8 U/g dust were associated with higher hospitalization rates, more unscheduled medical visits, and more parent-reported wheezing (62).…”

The Environment and Asthma in US Inner Cities

“…35-5.66 Exposure to indoor allergens has recently been suggested as a source of respiratory morbidity. Between 70 and 90% of children and young adults with asthma have one or more positive skin tests to aeroallergen (22,29); the frequency is similar in asthmatic patients in urban dinics (30)(31)(32)(33). The pattern of specific allergen sensitivity differs from that in the general population, with a higher frequency of sensitivity to cockroach and molds and less frequent sensitivity to cats, dogs, and house dust mites.…”

Structures of Two Major Allergens, Bla g 4 and Per a 4, from Cockroaches and Their IgE Binding Epitopes

“…Sensitization to cockroach allergens is a major risk factor, especially due to the high levels of these proteins found in the urban environment (1). It has been reported that 44% of the 755 allergy clinic patients living in New York responded positive in skin tests to cockroach allergens (2). In Singapore, sensitization rates among patients with asthma and/or allergic rhinitis to cockroaches are 56.4% (Blattella germanica) and 59.5% (Periplaneta americana), second only to the dust mite (3).…”