[Progress of researches on mosquito salivary allergens]

There are multiple bioactive substances in the mosquito saliva, most of which are allergic to humans. Previous studies have demonstrated that mosquito bites may induce allergic reactions mediated by B and T lymphocytes, resulting in a reduction in the quality of life and even death among patients. To date, 11 salivary allergens and 8 non-salivary allergens have been characterized in mosquitoes. Nevertheless, there is still lack of highly sensitive, highly specific and safe tools for diagnosis of mosquito bites-induced allergy, and the difficulty in obtaining natural mosquito salivary allergens results in failure in widespread applications of immunotherapy for mosquito bites-induced allergy. This review provides an overview of the allergic symptoms of mosquito bites and underlying mechanisms, and mosquito salivary allergens that have been characterized and registered in the systematic allergen nomenclature website.