RESULTS IN DUST SAMPLES WITH A NEW QUANTITATIVE GUANINE ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATING OF RISK GROUPS

Guanine is an important substance produced in the metabolism of house dust mites (domestic mites). It is suitable as a marker for the allergen content of dust samples obtained in the interior of houses. Methods for the guanine detection are based on the complete extraction of guanine out of the dust samples and the following guanine assessment. For this the colorimetric determination of a guanine azo dye is an approved method. A new possibility represents the direct assessment via HPLC. We describe results obtained from 170 dust samples, using the HPLC method and compare these results with the formerly defined risk classes corresponding to guanine azo dye determinations (ACAREX test). Furtheron the evaluation of risk groups based on ACAREX test steps is compared with the risk definition (WHO) based directly on the guanine content. It is to be seen that the two different ways provide similar evaluations of the risk for allergic patients related with the sources of dust in indoor environments.