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Major Dermatophagoides mite allergen, Der 1, in soft toys
T Nagakura1, H Yasueda, T Obata
1Department of Pediatrics, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Background:
Allergen avoidance is recommended when treating atopic asthma.
Objectives:
Soft toys are often kept in close proximity to children and may serve as a source of exposure. Due to the potential danger from the mite allergen content of these toys, Der 1 from toys was measured.
Methods:
We quantified the level of Der 1 (Der p 1 + Der f 1) in both 30 new and 174 old soft toys (weight 216 +/- 2.5 g, height 26.5 +/- 3.4 cm), as well as in washed and in vacuumed soft toys. Dust was collected using an electric vacuum cleaner. Der 1 was measured by monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (MoAb-ELISA).
Results:
In brand new toys Der 1 was 0.1 microgram/g of dust, and in toys used for 1 year, 9.0; 2 year, 22.2; 3 year, 18.9; and more than 4 year, 22.7 micrograms/g of dust. Der 1 in new toys was measured every 4 months for 1 year. Der 1 rapidly increased 10- to 20-fold in the first 4 months, but there was no clear seasonal change. In toys washed using a chemical detergent or cleaned using a vacuum cleaner, there was a stastistically significant (P < 0.001) decrease in Der 1 in the washed group, but not in the vacuumed group.
Conclusion:
These results confirm that mite allergens accumulate rapidly in toys to form a potentially important source of allergens and that washing toys with a chemical detergent is effective in the reduction of allergens.