Allergy to furry animals: New insights, diagnostic approaches, and challenges

Jon R. Konradsen*, Takao Fujisawa, Marianne Van Hage, Gunilla Hedlin, Christiane Hilger, Jörg Kleine-Tebbe, Elizabeth C. Matsui, Graham Roberts, Eva Rönmark, Thomas A.E. Platts-Mills

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer-review

155 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The prevalence of allergy to furry animals has been increasing, and allergy to cats, dogs, or both is considered a major risk factor for the development of asthma and rhinitis. An important step forward in the diagnosis of allergy to furry animals has been made with the introduction of molecular-based allergy diagnostics. A workshop on furry animals was convened to provide an up-to-date assessment of our understanding of (1) the exposure and immune response to the major mammalian allergens, (2) the relationship of these responses (particularly those to specific proteins or components) to symptoms, and (3) the relevance of these specific antibody responses to current or future investigation of patients presenting with allergic diseases. In this review research results discussed at the workshop are presented, including the effect of concomitant exposures from other allergens or microorganisms, the significance of the community prevalence of furry animals, molecular-based allergy diagnostics, and a detailed discussion of cat and dog components.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)616-625
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Volume135
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2015

Keywords

  • Molecular-based allergy diagnostics
  • allergens
  • allergic asthma
  • allergic rhinitis
  • allergy
  • cats
  • dogs
  • furry animals
  • pork-cat syndrome

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