Word: dander
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...unexpectedly come down with a dismaying variety of symptoms. They swell up, - break out in hives and blisters, develop eczema or upset stomachs, and have breathing difficulties. After the initial reaction comes the frustrating detective work to find the culprit among such widely disparate menaces as dust, cat dander, mold spores, foods, medications and insect bites...
...other substances can provoke the immune system into an irrational IgE response. Among the more formidable and difficult to avoid are the droppings of the dust mite, a microscopic insect that thrives by the millions wherever dust collects in a house. Living on sloughed-off flecks of human skin (dander) and other unappetizing protein, it leaves droppings that are about the size of pollen grains -- and just as easy to inhale. Mite dung, unfortunately, is an allergen that produces the familiar sneezing, coughing, itching symptoms in half of all people who have allergies...
...million U.S. families are allergic to cats. Feline saliva contains the offending substance, a protein called Fel d1 (for Felis domesticus 1) that is left on the fur and skin during preening, a full-time preoccupation of most cats. As a result, houses full of cat hair and dander cause uncomfortable reactions in 25% of allergy sufferers. "Some 70% of cat owners allow their cats to sleep with them in their beds," says Dr. Joseph Wedner, chief of allergy and clinical immunology at Washington University. "There's no better way to make someone allergic to a cat or to make...
...Indoor allergens -- particularly spores from molds that grow on irregularly cleaned evaporative coolers and humidifiers -- can be circulated throughout the structure, bringing on the familiar allergic symptoms often attributed to "sick-building syndrome." In houses, keeping air-treatment units free of molds will not suffice; sealed-in, circulating cat dander and dust-mite dung often more than compensate for the absence of spores...
...Dander and dung can apparently be brought under control -- although in each case the victory may not be worth the trouble. In the midst of experiments with cat dander, allergist Wedner made a serendipitous discovery. "If you wash cats once a month," he says, "then over a period of three to eight months they will stop making Fel d1. In essence, you've created a nonallergenic cat." To nail down his findings, Wedner now has his cat-owning patients experimenting with the technique on their pets...