A comparative study of allergen extracts from cat fur, cat pelt and cat saliva

Very good in vitro correlations were found among extracts of cat fur, cat pelt and cat saliva. Extracts were fractionated by isoelectricfocussing and tested by RAST and RAST inhibition. Some differences in allergenic composition were shown by RAST inhibition using a human serum pool and by titrating fractionated extracts against individual human sera, though the majority of the allergenic components of each extract appear to be common to all three extracts by these techniques. These in vitro data suggest that cat saliva could be a suitable source material for allergenic extracts for use in testing humans for cat hypersensitivity.