Alternaria alternata rAlt a 1, m229

Alt a 1 is a major allergen and a marker of true sensitization to the airborne mold Alternaria alternata (A. alternata), which is mainly involved in the development, persistent and severe asthma.
Allergy component diagnostics is based on the detection of sensitization to allergens at the molecular level using natural highly purified and recombinant allergen molecules, i.e. their individual allergy components.

There are 3 main advantages of doing this analysis:
- Allergocomponent diagnostics, makes it possible to differentiate true sensitization from sensitization due to cross-reactivity. This data will help determine the sources of allergies: one single allergy, several closely related ones, or many different ones.
- Molecular allergy diagnostics will eliminate the need for provocative tests and allow you to give clearer recommendations regarding the elimination of contact with allergens.
- Molecular allergodiagnostics is necessary in the selection of ASIT, in persons with polyvalent (multiple) sensitization, the most accurate way to determine the most important allergen for which therapy will be performed.

The allergenic substance contains not one but several protein components that can act as allergens:
Major allergen components are the main allergenic molecules, antibodies to which are found in more than half – 50% of patients in the population responding to this source. They are resistant to heat and more immunogenic. They are large and are contained in this allergen in larger quantities.
Minor are secondary smaller in size and less immunogenic allergenic molecules that are usually contained in smaller amounts in the allergen but are present in many different allergens, sometimes not closely related, providing cross-allergy. That is, allergens with a prevalence of more than 50% are called major allergens and less than 10% are called minor allergens.

A. alternata, an airborne fungus, causes asthma (development and exacerbation), atopic dermatitis (AD), and rarely allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis (DBPM).
The concentration of Alt a 1 in the air shows seasonal fluctuations depending on the local climate, weather and pollution conditions, with the maximum amount in summer, which coincides with the peaks of asthma exacerbation.

Since Alt a 1 is a major allergen with limited cross-reactivity and can be obtained as a recombinant molecule, it is a suitable candidate for allergen-specific immunotherapy (ASIT).