cat hair - Generic Medications

Standardized Cat Hair Extract is a clear, light yellow to amber solution of the allergens of cat hair, extracted in buffered saline containing sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate and 50% glycerol by volume. Phenol at 0.4% w/v is added as a preservative. Source material for the extract is obtained from the hair of the domestic cat The importance of surface allergens in cat allergy has been shown in several investigations (1,2,3). Standardization The potency of Standardized Cat Hair Extract is based on the amount of Fel d 1 allergen in the extract. Extract containing 5-9.9 units per mL is assigned a potency of 5,000 Bioequivalent Allergy Units (BAU/mL). Extract containing 10-19.9 Fel d 1 units is assigned a potency of 10,000 BAU/mL. BAU/mL values are based on quantitative skin testing. The primary allergen of Standardized Cat Hair Extract is Fel d 1 . Standardized Cat Pelt Extract contains Fel d 1 , as well as non-Fel d 1 allergens. The latter are believed lobe components of cat serum, such as albumin. Pelt extracts have a higher protein content than hair extracts, and the isoelectric focusing (IEF) pattern of the pelt extract reveals protein bands that are not present in cat hair extracts. The IEF pattern of cat hair extracts shows primarily Fel d 1 allergen without serum components. The importance of Fel d1 as a means of standardizing the potency of cat extract is based on the following observations: 1. The intensity of skin reactions to cat extract correlates with the Fel d 1 content of the extract in most cat sensitive patients(1). 2. The absorption of cat extract with monospecific antisera to Fel d 1 causes a reduction in the allergenic activity of cat extract (1). 3. The precipitin arc of Fel d 1 in cat extract binds most of the IgE antibody in sera obtained from cat allergic individuals (2).