Allergy to cats and dogs: Will there soon be a treatment available against the disease?
If you experience symptoms of allergy to pets, your sneezing and itchy eyes may soon find their solution in treatment. Researchers have identified immune mechanisms involved.
The presence of our pets can trigger in some itching, sneezing and other allergic manifestations. A team of British researchers have identified the hitherto unexplained mechanism of all these inconveniences.
The secretions of the cat, causing allergies
Saliva, urine, and especially dead skin secretions generate immediate reactions in sensitive individuals.
Contrary to popular belief, the hair of cats and dogs are not to blame.
The team from the University of Cambridge (England) identified the molecule called into question.
TREATMENT TO COME?
Fel d1: This is the name given by scientists to the protein identified in cats . Like its counterpart Can f6 found in dogs, it binds to a receptor of the immune mechanism actor named TLR4 (Toll-like Receptor 4).
Both toxins belonging to the family lipopolysaccharide (LPS), activate the immune response, with all the physical manifestations that follow: watery eyes, hives, and sneezing.
With this discovery, a drug blocking the interaction between Fel d1, Can f6 and TLR4 may eliminate allergic reactions.
