Abstract

CASTRO ALMARALES, Raúl Lázaro et al. Sensitization to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides siboney and Blomia tropicalis in children from three family physician’s offices. Rev Cubana Med Gen Integr [online]. 2005, vol.21, n.3-4. ISSN 0864-2125.

Morbidity of allergic diseases mediated by the  IgE antibody has increased in the last 40 years and the house mites have been identified as their main causal agents. In Cuba, the most common mites are  Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (D. pteronyssinus), Dermatophagoides siboney (D. siboney) and Blomia tropicalis (B. tropicalis). In this study, it was  investigated if the sensitization to these mites is a health problem in our infantile population and its connection with the exposure to house dust. 103 allergic children from the Guatao town were selected. All of them underwent the skin puncture test in both forearms and the VALERGEN-BT Ò (Blomia tropicalis), VALERGEN-DS Ò (Dermatophagoides siboney) and VALERGEN-DP Ò  (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) standardized allergenic extracts, which were produced in our country by the National Centre of Biopreparations, were used. The sensitization was significantly higher (p<0,01) for all the mites of the genus  Dermatophagoides, specially for D. Pteronyssinus. The D. pteronyssinus extract provoked a mean size of the wheal higher than the other products among the positive patients of both groups (p<0,04). Therefore, we concluded that the greatest exposure of the patients to domestic dust is  related to a higher sensitization of the mites.

Keywords : Sensitization; mites; skin puncture test.