Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016;32(3):571-580.
doi: 10.1007/s10453-016-9433-7. Epub 2016 Mar 11.

Cat (Fel d 1) and dog (Can f 1) allergen levels in cars, dwellings and schools

A Niesler  1 , G Ścigała  1 , B Łudzeń-Izbińska  1
Affiliations

Cat (Fel d 1) and dog (Can f 1) allergen levels in cars, dwellings and schools

A Niesler et al. Aerobiologia (Bologna). 2016.

Abstract

Pets are an important source of indoor allergens. The aim of the study was to compare cat and dog allergen levels in cars, schools and homes. The study was carried out in 17 cars, 14 classrooms and 19 dwellings located in the highly industrialized and urbanized region of Poland. Dust and air samples were analyzed for Fel d 1 and Can f 1 using a double monoclonal ELISA assay. The highest amounts of cat and dog allergens (Fel d 1: 1169 μg/g; Can f 1: 277 μg/g) were found in dwellings with pets. Allergen concentrations were correlated with the number of animals kept at home. Although concentrations on automobile seats were lower, Fel d 1 levels exceeded 8 μg/g in 23.5 % of cars and high levels of Can f 1 (>10 μg/g) were found in 17.6 % of cars. The study revealed that cars of pet owners may be reservoirs of cat and dog allergens even when animals are not transported in them. In schools, concentrations of pet allergens did not reach high levels, but the moderate levels of Fel d 1 (≥1-8 μg/g) and Can f 1 (≥2-10 μg/g) were detected in 42.9 and 7.1 % of the investigated classrooms. Concentrations of cat and dog allergen in schools were higher than in homes without pets. While airborne Fel d 1 and Can f 1 levels were found low, residential allergen concentrations in settled dust and air were correlated. The study results suggest that classrooms and cars of pet owners may be important sites of exposure to cat and dog allergens, though the highest concentrations of Fel d 1 and Can f 1 are found in homes of pet owners.

Keywords: Airborne; Car, School and home environments; Cat and dog allergens; Dust; Environmental exposure; Pet ownership.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Almqvist C, Larsson PH, Egmar A-C, Hedrén M, Malmberg P, Wickman M. School as a risk environment for children allergic to cats and a site for transfer of cat allergen to homes. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 1999;103(6):1012–1017. doi: 10.1016/S0091-6749(99)70172-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Amr S, Bollinger ME, Myers M, Hamilton RG, Weiss SR, Rossman M, et al. Environmental allergens and asthma in urban elementary schools. Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. 2003;90(1):34–40. doi: 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)63611-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Arbes SJ, Cohn RD, Yin M, Muilenberg ML, Friedman W, Zeldin DC. Dog allergen (Can f 1) and cat allergen (Fel d 1) in US homes: Results from the national survey of lead and allergens in housing. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2004;114(1):111–117. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2004.04.036. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Asher MI, Montefort S, Björkstén B, Lai CKW, Strachan DP, Weiland SK, et al. Worldwide time trends in the prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, and eczema in childhood: ISAAC phases one and three repeat multicountry cross-sectional surveys. Lancet. 2006;368:733–743. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(06)69283-0. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Berge M, Munir AK, Dreborg S. Concentration of cat (Fel d 1), dog (Can f 1) and mite (Der f 1 and Der p 1) allergens in the clothing and school environment of Swedish schoolchildren with and without pets at home. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology. 1998;9(1):25–30. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3038.1998.tb00296.x. - DOI - PubMed