Silverfish protein in house dust in relation to mite and total arthropod level.

Two assays have been developed to measure arthropod levels in house dust. The first assay measures silverfish antigens. The second assay measures inverbrate tropomyosin and gives a global assessment of the level of arthropod-derived material. These assays and a Der p 1 and Der p 2 assay were used to analyse 53 dust samples. in most dust samples the ratio of tropomyosin Der p 2 was higher than in mite hotly extract. indicating that the assay measures other arthropods besides mites. Silverfish antigen was detectable iii most ot the dust samples. In many homes in which the inhabitants were unaware of the presence of silverfish, silverfish antigen was detectable. Therefore for immunochemical analysis is superior to a question- naire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]