"Dangerous little monsters - under the microscope"
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As dust mites are too tiny to be seen (0.1-0.3mm) only with the eye, we have to watch them unsing a microscope. But on the other hand they are so big, that they can't get into the innermost parts of the lung. So it's not the mites, which cause dust allergy. But they have to produce or to spread the allergenic.
Research of the Scandinavian scientists Weeke and Lowenstein revealed that 16 out of the 50 antigen molecules of the dust mite are probably causing allergies.
At Dermatophagoides pteronyssius they recognized two of them as especially important "Der p1" and "Der p2".
The allergologic importance of allergens in the mite excrements can be explained, if you see that one dust mite produces estimatedly 200 times its own weight of excrements during its life. As a result, 99% of the potential allergenics in the dust are after a few years consisting of excrements and dead mites. Further information : Allergenics of the dust mite.
Idea of the ThinkQuest-Team No. 20510 -
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