[Epidemic study of pet allergy in Wakayama Prefecture]

In Japan, the number of households who have pets has gradually increased, together with the number of people who have pet allergies. Many reports exist on pollen and mite allergy, but few on pet allergy. We conducted an epidemic study in 531 first-year junior high school students in Wakayama prefecture in 1999. Questionnaires covered allergy and measurement of total IgE antibody using CAP system (Pharmacia Co. Ltd.) and specific IgE antibody using MAST26 system (Hitachi chemical Co. Ltd.). Of 306 students having pets, 11 were allergic to dogs, 11 to cats, 8 to both, and 1 to rabbits. Clinical symptoms were various. No differences in symptoms were observed among allergens. Serum total IgE tended to increase in students who suffered from pet allergies. Positive rates of specific IgE antibodies were high in mites and Japanese cedar pollen (36.7% for mites and 37.0% for Japanese cedar pollen), and also in dogs and cats (15.4% for dogs and 18.2% for cats). Specific dog and cat IgE antibodies increased significantly (p = 0.033 for dog and for p < 0.0001 cat), but no significant correlation was found between the positive specific IgE antibody and history of pet keeping.