Patients With Atopic Dermatitis Sensitized to Pet Dander Mount IgE and T-Cell Responses to Mammalian Cystatins, Including the Human Self-Protein

Immediate and delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions to pet-borne allergens are common in atopic diseases. In atopic dermatitis (AD), controversy surrounds the contribution to the disease of cross-reactivity to self-proteins. Human cystatin A and the cat allergen Fel d 3 belong to the cystatins, an evolutionary conserved protein family. The objective of the present study was to assess crossreactivity between mammalian cystatins and to analyze...