#fel d1

[homeofhousechickens]

Do you feed your cat a food that helps with human allergies? Did you know you have chickens to thank?

While i was on facebook today I came across some studies posted by The Association of Avain Veterinarians (AAV) about how exposing chickens to Fel d1, which is one of the most common causes of cat related allergies in humans, has them produce eggs that carried antibodies of that allergen in their yolks. When those yolks were then fed back to the cats the cats experienced a reduction in that allergen. This is lovely news for cat lovers with cat related allergies. I posted one of the studies below as its pretty interesting. Also shout out to the cat who was removed from the study for being fractious lol

Also specifically we have lab strain Leghorn chickens to thank as it seems like its usually leghorns who are used for these things, which makes sense since they are very productive layers and very genetically similar. Blue and Greenie distant relatives lol (Blue bird below for people who dont know what a leghorn is)

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/iid3.244

Reduction of active Fel d1 from cats using an antiFel d1 egg IgY antibody

Background

Fel d1 is the most important allergen from cats. Fel d1 is produced primarily in saliva and spread to the haircoat during grooming and then transferred to the environment via hair and dander.

Objectives

A novel approach to reducing allergenic Fel d1 exposure was evaluated, involving binding the Fel d1 with an anti-Fel d1 polyclonal egg IgY antibody. The hypothesis was that hair from cats who had been fed foods containing anti-Fel d1 IgY would show a significant reduction in active Fel d1 (aFel d1).

Methods

Hair collected from 105 cats completing a 12-week study was evaluated for aFel d1 via ELISA. Hair was collected four times over a 2-week baseline period, then weekly during the 10 week treatment period during which cats consumed a food containing the anti-Fel d1 IgY.

Results

Baseline aFel d1 (μg/g hair) varied greatly among the cats in this study. From week 3, there was a significant reduction in mean aFel d1 with an overall average decrease of 47% by week 10, ranging from a 33–71% decrease vs baseline. Cats with the highest baseline aFel d1 showed the greatest decrease in aFel d1.

Conclusions & Clinical Implications

Feeding anti-Fel d1 IgY to cats successfully reduced Fel d1 on their haircoat with the greatest decreases observed in cats with initially high levels. Feeding a diet with anti Fel d1 IgY significantly reduced the active Fel d1 on the hair of cats.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Giving cats a special food may one day help people with cat allergies

Research by pet-food maker Purina aims to disable the major allergen carried in cat saliva. It’s a protein called Fel d1.

Cat lovers who sneeze and sniffle around their feline friends might one day find at least partial relief in a can of cat food. This won’t be ordinary cat food, though. It will contain an antibody to the major allergy-causing protein in cats. This protein is called Fel d1. New research suggests that feeding its antibody to cats changes the protein so that the human immune system can’t recognize it. That reduces the allergic response.

Researchers fed the antibody to 105 cats for 10 weeks. After that, the amount of active Fel d1 protein on the cats’ hair dropped by 47 percent on average. Researchers from pet food–maker Nestlé Purina conducted the research. They reported their results in the June 2019 Immunity, Inflammation and Disease.

Nestlé Purina researchers also conducted a small pilot study with 11 people allergic to cats. These people were exposed in a test chamber to hair from cats fed the antibody diet. They were also exposed to hair from cats fed a normal, control diet. The people had reduced nasal symptoms and less itchy, scratchy eyes with the hair from cats fed the special diet. These preliminary findings were released in June. The researchers presented them in Lisbon, Portugal. They were at a scientific meeting called the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Congress.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Giving cats food with an antibody may help people with cat allergies

Research by pet-food maker Purina aims to disable the major allergen carried in cat saliva, a protein called Fel d1.

Cat lovers who sneeze and sniffle around their feline friends might one day find at least partial relief in a can of cat food.

New research suggests that feeding cats an antibody to the major allergy-causing protein in cats renders some of the protein, called Fel d1, unrecognizable to the human immune system, reducing an allergic response. After 105 cats were fed the antibody for 10 weeks, the amount of active Fel d1 protein on the cats’ hair dropped by 47 percent on average, researchers from pet food–maker Nestlé Purina report in the June Immunity, Inflammation and Disease.

And in a small pilot study, 11 people allergic to cats experienced substantially reduced nasal symptoms and less itchy, scratchy eyes when exposed in a test chamber to hair from cats fed the antibody diet, compared with cats fed a control diet. The preliminary findings were presented in Lisbon, Portugal at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Congress in June.

The Fel d1 protein is produced in cats’ salivary and sebaceous glands. Cats transfer the protein to their hair when they groom by licking themselves and excrete it in their urine. Humans are then exposed to it on cat hair and dander — dead skin — or in the litter box. Cat allergies plague up to 20 percent of people, and Fel d1 is responsible for 95 percent of allergic reactions to cats.

Doctors can’t give humans antibodies orally because the molecules are broken down in the gut and never reach their targets, says Michael Blaiss, executive medical director of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and an allergist and immunologist at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. So Purina’s approach to the cat allergy problem is interesting and unusual, he says.

In cats, the antibody to Fel d1 — which is derived from eggs and added to cat food — has its effect in the mouth, neutralizing the protein in saliva, says Ebenezer Satyaraj, director of molecular nutrition at Purina. This way, the antibody disables Fel d1 “after its production by the cat, but before it spreads to the cat’s hair and dander — and before a response occurs in an individual sensitized to cat allergens,” says Satyaraj, who is leading the cat allergen research.

Since the role of Fel d1 in cat physiology is unknown, this approach doesn’t interfere with the normal production of Fel d1 by the cat, Satyaraj says. So far, he adds, safety tests have found no harm to cats fed the antibody.

Blaiss expects that the new treatment may help people with mild cat allergies. But those with severe symptoms are unlikely to find relief from cutting the amount of active allergen only in half. Some people can’t tolerate any amount of the protein without symptoms, he says. What’s more, different cats can produce wildly varying amounts of Fel d1 naturally. “So it just depends on the [Fel d1] levels of the cat and the symptomology of the patient,” he says.

In addition, Fel d1 is known to be a “sticky” protein, Blaiss says. It tends to stick around and accumulate in the home over time. So even with feeding a cat the antibody-laced food, “it could just take more time to build to a level that triggers an allergic reaction.”

Purina is not yet offering products containing the antibody, Satyaraj says, but plans further research to determine its effectiveness for reducing cat allergens in the home.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Giving cats a special food may one day help people with cat allergies

Research by pet-food maker Purina aims to disable the major allergen carried in cat saliva. It’s a protein called Fel d1.

Cat lovers who sneeze and sniffle around their feline friends might one day find at least partial relief in a can of cat food. This won’t be ordinary cat food, though. It will contain an antibody to the major allergy-causing protein in cats. This protein is called Fel d1. New research suggests that feeding its antibody to cats changes the protein so that the human immune system can’t recognize it. That reduces the allergic response.

Researchers fed the antibody to 105 cats for 10 weeks. After that, the amount of active Fel d1 protein on the cats’ hair dropped by 47 percent on average. Researchers from pet food–maker Nestlé Purina conducted the research. They reported their results in the June Immunity, Inflammation and Disease.

Nestlé Purina researchers also conducted a small pilot study with 11 people allergic to cats. These people were exposed in a test chamber to hair from cats fed the antibody diet. They were also exposed to hair from cats fed a normal, control diet. The people had reduced nasal symptoms and less itchy, scratchy eyes with the hair from cats fed the special diet. These preliminary findings were released in June. The researchers presented them in Lisbon, Portugal. They were at a scientific meeting called the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Congress.

Lick, lick, lick

The Fel d1 protein is produced in cats’ salivary and sebaceous glands. Cats transfer the protein to their hair when they groom by licking themselves. They also excrete it in their urine. Humans are then exposed to the protein on cat hair and dander — dead skin — or in the litter box. Cat allergies plague up to 20 percent of people. Fel d1 is responsible for an estimated 95 percent of allergic reactions to cats.

Doctors can’t have humans consume these antibodies. That’s because the molecules are broken down in the gut. They would never reach their targets in the body, says Michael Blaiss. He is executive medical director of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. He’s also an allergist and immunologist at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Purina’s approach to the cat allergy problem is interesting and unusual, he says.

The antibody to Fel d1 is derived from eggs. It’s then added to cat food. In cats, it works in the mouth. There, it neutralizes the protein in saliva, says Ebenezer Satyaraj. He is director of molecular nutrition at Purina. He’s leading the cat allergen research. With this approach, the antibody disables Fel d1 “after its production by the cat, but before it spreads to the cat’s hair and dander — and before a response occurs in an individual sensitized to cat allergens,” says Satyaraj.

This approach doesn’t interfere with the normal production of Fel d1 by the cat, Satyaraj says. This is good because scientists aren’t sure how cats use Fel d1 in their bodies. Stopping its production could have unknown side effects. But so far, he adds, safety tests have found no harm to cats fed the antibody.

Blaiss expects that the new treatment may help people with mild cat allergies. But those with severe symptoms may be out of luck. They are unlikely to find relief from cutting the amount of active allergen only in half. Some people can’t tolerate any amount of the protein without symptoms, he says. What’s more, different cats can produce very different amounts of Fel d1 naturally. “So it just depends on the [Fel d1] levels of the cat and the symptomology of the patient,” he says.

In addition, Fel d1 is known to be a “sticky” protein, Blaiss says. It tends to stick around and accumulate in the home over time. So even if a person feeds their cat the antibody-laced food, “it could just take more time to build to a level that triggers an allergic reaction.”

Purina is not yet offering products containing the antibody, Satyaraj says. However, the company plans further research to determine how well it might work for reducing cat allergens in the home.

[sciencenewsforstudents]

Giving cats a special food may one day help people with cat allergies

Research by pet-food maker Purina aims to disable the major allergen carried in cat saliva. It’s a protein called Fel d1.

Cat lovers who sneeze and sniffle around their feline friends might one day find at least partial relief in a can of cat food. This won’t be ordinary cat food, though. It will contain an antibody to the major allergy-causing protein in cats. This protein is called Fel d1. New research suggests that feeding its antibody to cats changes the protein so that the human immune system can’t recognize it. That reduces the allergic response.

Researchers fed the antibody to 105 cats for 10 weeks. After that, the amount of active Fel d1 protein on the cats’ hair dropped by 47 percent on average. Researchers from pet food–maker Nestlé Purina conducted the research. They reported their results in the June Immunity, Inflammation and Disease.

Nestlé Purina researchers also conducted a small pilot study with 11 people allergic to cats. These people were exposed in a test chamber to hair from cats fed the antibody diet. They were also exposed to hair from cats fed a normal, control diet. The people had reduced nasal symptoms and less itchy, scratchy eyes with the hair from cats fed the special diet. These preliminary findings were released in June. The researchers presented them in Lisbon, Portugal. They were at a scientific meeting called the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Congress.

Lick, lick, lick

The Fel d1 protein is produced in cats’ salivary and sebaceous glands. Cats transfer the protein to their hair when they groom by licking themselves. They also excrete it in their urine. Humans are then exposed to the protein on cat hair and dander — dead skin — or in the litter box. Cat allergies plague up to 20 percent of people. Fel d1 is responsible for an estimated 95 percent of allergic reactions to cats.

Doctors can’t have humans consume these antibodies. That’s because the molecules are broken down in the gut. They would never reach their targets in the body, says Michael Blaiss. He is executive medical director of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. He’s also an allergist and immunologist at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Purina’s approach to the cat allergy problem is interesting and unusual, he says.

The antibody to Fel d1 is derived from eggs. It’s then added to cat food. In cats, it works in the mouth. There, it neutralizes the protein in saliva, says Ebenezer Satyaraj. He is director of molecular nutrition at Purina. He’s leading the cat allergen research. With this approach, the antibody disables Fel d1 “after its production by the cat, but before it spreads to the cat’s hair and dander — and before a response occurs in an individual sensitized to cat allergens,” says Satyaraj.

This approach doesn’t interfere with the normal production of Fel d1 by the cat, Satyaraj says. This is good because scientists aren’t sure how cats use Fel d1 in their bodies. Stopping its production could have unknown side effects. But so far, he adds, safety tests have found no harm to cats fed the antibody.

Blaiss expects that the new treatment may help people with mild cat allergies. But those with severe symptoms may be out of luck. They are unlikely to find relief from cutting the amount of active allergen only in half. Some people can’t tolerate any amount of the protein without symptoms, he says. What’s more, different cats can produce very different amounts of Fel d1 naturally. “So it just depends on the [Fel d1] levels of the cat and the symptomology of the patient,” he says.

In addition, Fel d1 is known to be a “sticky” protein, Blaiss says. It tends to stick around and accumulate in the home over time. So even if a person feeds their cat the antibody-laced food, “it could just take more time to build to a level that triggers an allergic reaction.”

Purina is not yet offering products containing the antibody, Satyaraj says. However, the company plans further research to determine how well it might work for reducing cat allergens in the home.

[anexperimentallife]

Why is a kind of animal I love literally lethal to me?

Those of you who can have cats, count your blessings, because for those of us with the dreaded anaphylactic reaction to the Fel d1 protein, they are the Forbidden Pet.

When most people think of allergic reactions, they think of things like sneezing or rashes. I’m talking death. Bronchial tubes swelling shut. Eyes swelling shut. Being unable to draw a breath. Like, I’ve had to be rushed to the ER on multiple occasions because stupid motherfuckers could not seem to comprehend--even after being TOLD--that yes, even just being around an object that has been in a house with cats can actually kill me, even if the cat has not directly touched it.

I once almost died because someone thought it was “all in my head” and that if they put their cat in the basement and didn’t tell me about it I’d be fine. It was only after I almost passed out from lack of oxygen that they admitted their deception.

Seriously. They did that. They simply decided that NO ONE could possibly be THAT allergic to cats, so it MUST just be psychological, and then they risked my life based on that assumption. (They also could not seem to wrap their heads around the idea that some cats are worse than others for me.)

“Sorry we didn’t mention the cat, but we put it in the basement and vacuumed before you came over, so we didn’t think it would be a problem.”

Thanks, but did you steam clean all the fucking carpets and upholstery, scrub down all the walls, clean the insides of all the ductwork--including any fans or fan motors--and wash every piece of fabric in the house, then let the place air out from anywhere from six months to two years (Fel d1 can stay even on hard surfaces for up to two years)? THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST TOLD ME YOU HAD A FUCKING CAT INSTEAD OF LYING ABOUT IT, YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING DIPSHIT! I PROMISE THAT I KNOW HOW MY ALLERGIES WORK BETTER THAN YOU DO.

I once wheezed for three days because someone brought a shirt into the house that had been in a house with cats. When my ex came back from seeing a friend who had cats, she had to basically strip as soon as she came in our door, put her clothes directly into the wash or tie them up in a plastic bag, and immediately get into the shower. When an old friend who lives with several cats came in from out of town, I had to take meds, cover the car seat, and drive with the windows open to be able to breathe. If I hug a cat-owning friend, I have to change clothes and take a shower, and will probably still need to use my inhaler several times and take anti-histamines for the next day or two.

There are only a few exceptions:

Siberians produce little to no Fel d1 (a spayed female is pretty much COMPLETELY safe). But they are hella expensive.

There are these genetically engineered cats that produce little or no Fel d1, but again, hella expensive.

I can also be loaded up on steroids to suppress my immune system and allergic reactions for a while--but they take a few days to kick in, and the side effects of those are pretty fucking nasty. (When I DID have to go on those meds, though, you’d better fucking believe I took advantage to snuggle all the cats I could get away with.)

The occasional random cat of unknown lineage may for some reason not produce an appreciable quantity of Fel d1, but the only way for me to find out is to risk anaphylaxis--which is kinda... not a Good Idea.

SO IF YOU ARE NOT ALLERGIC TO CATS, I ENVY YOU.

BLESS YOU. ENJOY THOSE ADORABLE CREATURES FOR ME, BECAUSE I CANNOT.

(But also, if you only have Siberians, I will be over at your house in approximately .0003 seconds to snuggle them.)

[purplehost]

last night my husband had a friend over and this guy is super allergic to cats.  our cat is allegedly hypoallergenic (sample size: one).  it turns out that he didn’t have any type of allergic reaction.  so now, our cat is allegedly hypoallergenic, sample size: two.

if any of you live in the twin cities metro area and are allergic to cats, feel free to come to my house.