Immunoglobulin E antibody production against house dust mite, Dermatophagoides farinae, in mice

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody production against Dermatophagoides farinae extract (mite antigen) was studied in female BALB/c mice. When mice were immunized with mite antigen and aluminium hydroxide gel (alum) intraperitoneally at intervals of 30 d, good primary, secondary and tertiary IgE antibody responses were observed. In the absence of adjuvant, a subcutaneous injection of mite antigen failed to induce the primary IgE antibody response. However, good IgE antibody responses were observed after the secondary immunization given 30 d after the primary immunization. Furthermore, 5 weekly injections of mite antigen alone also induced the IgE antibody production. Intranasal administrations of mite antigen alone also induced the IgE antibody production in mice. Two exposures to mite antigen, intranasally, were sufficient for eliciting low IgE antibody production. The response was significantly potentiated by the administration of islet-activating protein obtained from culture fluids of Bordetella pertussis. These results indicate that the intranasal administration of mite antigen is very effective for eliciting the IgE antibody production.