Abstract
A large number of fungi are associated with allergic disorders. There are many problems in using non-standardized fungal extracts for diagnosis of fungal allergy. These problems can be solved by using genetically engineered recombinant allergens. At present, more than 70 fungal allergens have been cloned and sequenced, and the recombinant forms of several of these are commercially available.
Measurement of IgE antibodies to these commercially available recombinant allergens could provide the tools useful for characterizing the differential sensitization pattern in relation to a paticular disease and the allergenic cross-reactivity among fungi.
Only a limited number of recombinant allergens are available at present, thus further studies on the molecular biology of fungal allergens are needed so that more recombinant allergens can be used in the clinical field.
