Laboratory culture of swimming pool mites and their allergenicities

Abstract

Two species of swimming pool mites, Hydronothrus crispus (Hc; Cryptostigmata, Trhypochthoniidae) and Schwiebea sp. (Sch; Astigmata, Acaridae) were cultured in vitro, and their allergenicities were investigated by RAST using sera obtained from 32 swimmers and 43 randomly selected, healthy non-swimmer athletes. Positive rates for Sch-, Hc-, and Dermatophagoides farinae (Df; Astigmata, Pyroglyphidae)-RAST was 28.1,25.0 and 59.4% in swimmers, and 31.8,31.8 and 63.6% in non-swimmers, respectively. Both Hc- and Sch-RAST reactions were similarly inhibited by the addition of Sch, Hc and Df antigens. Df-RAST was inhibited by Df itself but not by Sch and Hc antigens. And the RAST values were highly correlated with each other. These facts indicate that there are strong antigenic cross-reactivities among Sch, Hc, and Df. From these results, the author concludes that the swimming pool mites have active allergenic components, which are common with those of Df.