ASSESSMENT OF AIRBORNE FUNGAL ALLERGENS: BIOCHEMICAL AND IMMUNOPROTEOMIC APPROACH : A REVIEW

Atmospheric air contains a wide variety of components like inorganic gaseous, particulate pollutants and biological particles such as fungal spores, pollen grains, dust mites and animal dander that can affect human health. Among biological particles, airborne fungal spores are an essential source of aeroallergens. In India, allergy prevalence has become a major health concern with symptoms ranging from mild rhinitis to severe asthma and even life threatening anaphylaxis. Aerobiological studies provide qualitative and quantitative information about fungal spores of a given region. The proper identification, purification and molecular characterization of fungal allergens are essential for proper diagnosis and to design immunotherapeutic vaccines. Only a few fungal allergens have been characterized by recombinant technology and structural biology. Detailed analysis of fungal biochemistry can be done by using multiple techonologies including Skin Prick Test (SPT), ELISA, immunonoblot, MALDI TOF, genome and transcriptome sequencing, recombinant technology and bioinformatics. The purpose of this review is to describe the different strategies that have been used to identify, purify and characterize the fungal allergens, which may enrich the database of allergy research and help in the implementation of immunotherapy in future.