[Murine IgE antibody to recognize human major allergen, Mal f4]

To elucidate the specificity of murine IgE antibody against Malassezia furfur, the immunoblot patterns of IgE in sera obtained from mice inoculated repeatedly in the nasal cavity with M. f. cells, or injected intraperitoneally with M. f. cells mixed with Al (OH)3 gel were compared with those of IgE antibody detected in sera from patients with AD. Most of the murine IgE anti-Malassezia antibodies shared some antigenic bands with IgE in sera from patients with AD. The IgE antibody of murine also recognized Mal f4, one of the major allergens detected in patients with AD.