T-CELL RESPONSES TO THE PURIFIED MAJOR ALLERGENS FROM THE HOUSE DUST MITE DERMATOPHAGOIDES-PTERONYSSINUS

Proliferation assays were used to determine peripheral blood T cell responses to affinity-purified Der p I, Der p II, and Der f II allergens. Patients studied were sensitive to the house dust mite (HDM) either alone or in combination with other allergens. Control subjects were both nonatopic and atopic non-HDM sensitive. In general, only HDM-sensitive patients responded to the mite allergens. Mean stimulation indices (SI) were 10.2 +/- 2.8 (SEM) for Der p I and 10.0 +/- 2.2 for Der p II in HDM-sensitive individuals, and 2.0 +/- 0.2 and 2.8 +/- 0.6 for non-HDM sensitive control subjects (p < 0.001). Patients sensitive to HDM and other allergens had higher responses than subjects sensitive to HDM alone, and the degree of proliferation to Der p I and Der p II was well correlated in individual patients (r = 0. 71; p < 0.001). Total IgE levels were elevated in the allergic patients, and values were highly correlated with the SI for both Der p I and Der p II (p < 0.001). Responses to Der p II and Der f II were equivalent in 82% of individuals; however, in 18%, there was a marked discordance with strong responses to Der p II only. SIs were compared between different clinical groups of patients, and patients with asthma had significantly higher values to both Der p I and Der p II than patients with rhinitis alone (17.0 +/- 5.4 versus 5.7 +/- 1.0 for Der p I, p < 0.05; 14.3 +/- 6.8 versus 5.0 +/- 1.0 for Der p II, p < 0.05).