“A Novel Approach to the Reduction of Cat Allergen Fel D 1 Through Inclusion of an Egg Product Ingredient Containing Anti-Fel D 1 IgY Antibodies in the Feline Diet”, 2019-07-18 (; backlinks):
…The authors’ approach to managing cat allergens takes advantage of the antibody-antigen interaction by generating anti-Fel d 1 antibodies using the avian IgY system. The avian IgY is equivalent to the mammalian IgG and is naturally produced in domestic birds, such as chickens, in response to antigens. These antibodies are transferred to the egg where they provide passive immunity to the hatchlings. These antigen-specific IgY antibodies subsequently attach to targeted antigens and neutralise or mark them for destruction by cells of the immune system. The use of avian IgY is not a new discovery: it has already been in use for numerous animal and human applications.18,19 However, the element of novelty in the authors’ approach is that instead of administering the IgY antibodies to the human patient, this research focuses on incorporating the anti-Fel d 1 IgY antibodies in the cat’s diet, through a safe and nutritious egg product, with the intention of neutralizing the aFel d 1 in cat saliva. While it was not expected that such an approach would alter the amount of Fel d 1 secreted, it was hypothesized that it would reduce the amount of aFel d 1 transferred to the hair during grooming and dispersed into the cat’s environment.
In this article, the speakers review and share some of the data presented in 4 posters at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) Congress held from the 1st–5th June 2019 in Lisbon, Portugal.
…While the typical approaches to managing feline allergies have involved either desensitizing cat-allergic patients or mitigating the allergic symptoms, this approach was unique in the sense that the authors aimed at neutralizing the major cat allergen, Fel d 1, after its production but before human exposure, by incorporating an egg product ingredient containing anti-Fel d 1 IgY antibodies into the cat’s diet. In our series of studies, the mechanism by which anti-Fel d 1 IgY bound feline salivary Fel d 1 and prevented it from binding human IgE was demonstrated, thereby curtailing the subsequent mast cell-mediated allergic response. In addition, it was shown that cats fed a diet with an egg product ingredient containing anti-Fel d 1 IgY have lower aFel d 1 levels in their saliva and hair. However, the most clinically relevant of these data showed an improvement in nasal and some ocular symptoms in individuals sensitized to Fel d 1 with this approach. This set of results offers proof-of-concept of a novel and cutting-edge approach to management of allergies in individuals sensitized to Fel d 1. Further research will be required to demonstrate the usefulness of this approach for managing cat allergens in the home.
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