Cure for cat allergies discovered

Scientists have unveiled how a cascade of allergic reactions to cats are triggered, raising hopes of preventative medicine. Scientists from University of Cambridge have discovered the pathogenesis of cat related allergies. According to the team, the body’s immune system detects cat allergen, leading to symptoms such as, irritation, coughing and sneezing.

Researchers led by Dr Clare Bryant of the University of Cambridge studied allergenic proteins found in particles of cat skin, known as cat dander, which is the most common cause of cat allergy. They found that cat allergen activates a specific pathway in the body, once in the presence of a common bacterial toxin. The team from Cambridge University discovered the trigger that can cause allergic reactions in one in ten people.

This triggers a large immune response in allergy sufferers, causing symptoms such as rashes, coughing, wheezing, sneezing and a runny nose. They explained.

Researchers say treatment could be on the market within five years. Scientists remained opportunistic that a pill or inhaler could be used to treat the problem.

The only and most reliable treatment currently available for symptoms is to take antihistamines or to have a multiple injections to build up a tolerance to the allergen.

“New treatments to block this pathway raise hopes of developing medicines to protect sufferers”, they said.

Allergy UK a charity said the research, published in Journal of Immunology, “is a big step forward” in understanding how cat allergen causes such severe allergic reactions.

Dr Bryant said, "By understanding the triggering mechanism, there are now drugs that have been designed that are in clinical trials for other conditions, such as sepsis, that could potentially then be used in a different way to treat cat allergy and to prevent cat allergy."

The charity Allergy UK said "Cat allergen is particularly difficult to avoid as it is a 'sticky' molecule that is carried into every building on people's shoes and clothes," said director of clinical services Maureen Jenkins.

"It can also still be found in a home, on the walls and ceiling or fittings, even a few years after a cat has ceased to live there.

"Therefore, this new information identifying the specific receptor interaction in the immune system could pave the way for treatments for those with persistent disease triggered by cat allergen and, in the future, potentially dog and house dust mite allergen."

Allergic reactions happen when the immune system overreacts to a perceived or foreign body or danger. In the due course, a lot of chemicals are produced by the body such as histamines which cause the symptoms.

Meanwhile cats are among the most notorious culprits for pet allergies. Folks with cat allergy are allergic to proteins in the urine, dried flakes of skin (dander) and saliva. Symptoms of cat allergy which may include; a rash, cough, sneezing, a runny nose and asthmatic syndrome may appear in a few minutes after contact with the cat or just smelling the presence of a cat.