Allergic To Cats?

1 min

Swiss company has developed a vaccine that could help prevent allergic reactions to cats. The vaccine would be given to the cats, not the allergic humans. It neutralizes a protein, “Fel d 1” in cat saliva that is responsible for the immune response in humans. Cats spread the protein to their fur when they lick themselves, and it sticks to the fur they shed. Injecting cats with the newly developed “HypoCat” vaccine appeared to neutralize the activity of “Fel d 1” and increase levels of antibodies to it in cats’ blood. In laboratory studies mixing blood from vaccinated cats with human blood showed fewer allergy-related chemical reactions. The cats that received the vaccinations seemed to tolerate them well other than some apparent objections about being injected. No side effects have emerged. Studies so far haven’t proved that humans won’t develop allergic symptoms around vaccinated cats, but developers of the vaccine are working on the next steps to bring it to market.

Source:
Gary P. Jennings et al, “Immunization of cats to induce neutralizing antibodies against Fel d 1, the major feline allergen in human subjects,” The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, July 2019, DOI:  doi/10.1016/j.jaci.2019.01.050

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