Allergy dermatophagoides pternyssinus Test

Dermatophagoides Pternyssinus or the European dust mite is one of the major causes of dust mite allergy in humans. These microscopic translucent mites feed on household dust which is a mixture of dead skin flakes, fabric, mould and other substances. Though dust mites don’t bite their digestive enzymes which linger in their excrement, which are tiny enough to be sucked in while breathing causes moderate to severe allergic reactions of the skin or respiratory system to some people.

After carefully going through your medical history and performing medical examination your physician might be able to tell you whether the cause of your symptoms are dust mites. An allergy test is generally recommended to ascertain the cause of allergy which can be done at specialized allergy clinics or by a suggested health care provider.

The test helps determine whether the patient is positive for allergy due to dust mites. The results of the test along with the medical history helps in charting out the proper allergy planning to help alleviate the symptoms.

Depending upon the intensity and the type of allergy symptoms the suitable way of testing is decided. The skin prick testing a common way of testing. It usually gives the result in 15 to 20 minutes. In this method the allergy causing protein extract from dust mites is used as test allergen. The test is usually performed on the fore arm or back. The skin is first cleaned with an alcohol swab. Then a prick is made with a sterilized lancet dipped in the allergen extract. This method of allergy testing is slightly uncomfortable This type of testing is not effective in certain conditions of skin like eczema, or if the patient is on antihistamines. In that case standard blood test is carried out, the sample collected is then tested with the allergen.