Medicine by Sfakianakis G. Alexandros: Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Friday, May 3, 2019

Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Immunization of cats to induce neutralizing antibodies against Fel d 1, the major feline allergen in human subjects

Publication date: Available online 2 May 2019

Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Author(s): Franziska Thoms, Gary T. Jennings, Melanie Maudrich, Monique Vogel, Stefanie Haas, Andris Zeltins, Regina Hofmann-Lehmann, Barbara Riond, Jonas Grossmann, Peter Hunziker, Antonia Fettelschoss-Gabriel, Gabriela Senti, Thomas M. Kündig, Martin F. Bachmann

Background

Cat allergy in human subjects is usually caused by the major cat allergen Fel d 1 and is found in approximately 10% of the Western population. Currently, there is no efficient and safe therapy for cat allergy available. Allergic patients usually try to avoid cats or treat their allergy symptoms.

Objective

We developed a new strategy to treat Fel d 1–induced allergy in human subjects by immunizing cats against their own major allergen, Fel d 1.

Methods

A conjugate vaccine consisting of recombinant Fel d 1 and a virus-like particle derived from the cucumber mosaic virus containing the tetanus toxin–derived universal T-cell epitope tt830-843 (CuMV_TT) was used to immunize cats. A first tolerability and immunogenicity study, including a boost injection, was conducted by using the Fel-CuMV_TT vaccine alone or in combination with an adjuvant.

Results

The vaccine was well tolerated and had no overt toxic effect. All cats induced a strong and sustained specific IgG antibody response. The induced anti–Fel d 1 antibodies were of high affinity and exhibited a strong neutralization ability tested both in vitro and in vivo. A reduction in the endogenous allergen level and a reduced allergenicity of tear samples, were observed.

Conclusion

Vaccination of cats with Fel-CuMV_TT induces neutralizing antibodies and might result in reduced symptoms of allergic cat owners. Both human subjects and animals could profit from this treatment because allergic cat owners would reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases, such as asthma, and become more tolerant of their cats, which therefore could stay in the households and not need to be relinquished to animal shelters.

Graphical abstract

Mepolizumab in patients with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis

Publication date: Available online 2 May 2019

Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Author(s): Sergey Moiseev, Eugenia Zagvozdkina, Viktoria Kazarina, Nikolai Bulanov, Pavel Novikov

Cysteine and hydrophobic residues in CDR3 serve as distinct T-cell self-reactivity indices

Publication date: Available online 30 April 2019

Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Author(s): Stephen R. Daley, Hui-Fern Koay, Kerry Dobbs, Marita Bosticardo, Rushika C. Wirasinha, Francesca Pala, Riccardo Castagnoli, Jared H. Rowe, Lisa M. Ott de Bruin, Sevgi Keles, Yu Nee Lee, Raz Somech, Steven M. Holland, Ottavia M. Delmonte, Debbie Draper, Sandra Maxwell, Julie Niemela, Jennifer Stoddard, Sergio D. Rosenzweig, Pietro Luigi Poliani

Bagels and LOX in Eosinophilic Esophagitis

Publication date: Available online 30 April 2019

Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Author(s): Netali Ben Baruch-Morgenstern, Tetsuo Shoda, Marc E. Rothenberg

Tamoxifen restores extracellular trap formation in neutrophils from patients of chronic granulomatous disease, in ROS-independent manner

Publication date: Available online 27 April 2019

Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Author(s): Atul Sharma, Katelyn McCann, Jitendra Kumar Tripathi, Pooja Chauhan, Christa Zerbe, Bibhuti B. Mishra, Steven M. Holland, Jyotika Sharma

HLA and immune-mediated adverse drug reactions: another hit with vancomycin

Publication date: Available online 25 April 2019

Source: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Author(s): Munir Pirmohamed