Bacterial protein, known as flagellin and found in house dust, can aggravate allergic reactions to common home allergens.
American researchers at Duke University and the National Institute of Environmental Health have found that flagellin causes an allergic reaction that triggers the development of allergic asthma. "Most asthmatics suffer from allergic asthma, which is largely a result of allergic reactions to inhaled substances," says study author Donald Cook. “Although flagellin is not an allergen, it can trigger allergic reactions to real allergens.”
While conducting a study, scientists noticed that mice exposed to house dust showed signs of allergic asthma - increased mucus in the respiratory system, airway obstruction, and inflammation. Researchers, however, noted that not all mice responded equally to flagellin. Some showed only minor manifestations of these symptoms.
A human study showed that patients with asthma have an increased level of antibodies to flagellin, which indicates the presence of a causal relationship between the environment and allergic asthma.
More than 20 million Americans suffer from asthma, and 4,000 patients die every year from this disease. House cleaning will certainly reduce dust and help prevent an allergy outbreak and reduce the number of allergic asthma diseases.
