서울지역 실내환경에서 새로 발견된 흡입 알레르겐인 애집개미 항원의 측정 및 정량

초록

We previously reported that wide spread house ants, pharaoh ants, can act as important inhalant allergens and provoke respiratory allergic diseases. There is no valuable information about the distribution of pharaoh ant antigens in living environment. This study was performed to determine the amount of pharaoh ant antigens in indoor environment. Home visiting and floor dusts collection were performed at 3-month interval from April 2001 to January 2002 at 56 houses in Seoul. Pharaoh ant antigens in fine dusts were detected and quantified by ELISA inhibition using polyclonal rabbit IgG antibodies, and pharaoh ant-sIgE was measured in residents' sera by ELISA. Pharaoh ant antigens were detected in 10.7% of dust samples, and 35.7% houses had pharaoh ant antigens in at least one site. Detection rate of pharaoh ant antigens was significantly higher in houses with visual evidence of pharaoh ant infestation than in houses with no evidence of infestation, but significant amount of pharaoh ant antigens was also measured in about 20% of houses not reporting sings of ant. Level of pharaoh ant antigens showed seasonal variation with peak in autumn and winter. 11.5% of residents had pharaoh ant-sIgE. 19.6% of residents who lived in pharaoh ant antigen-detected houses had sIgE, but only 4.8% of residents in houses without pharaoh ant antigens showed sIgE responses. In conclusion, considerable level of pharaoh ant antigens is distributed in some urban indoor environment, and detection pattern of sIgE may reflect causal relationship.