Kinetics of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae growth and an analysis of the allergen expression in semi-synthetic culture medium

Currently, several mite growth culture media used in the production of allergenic extracts contain animal-derived components that limit their use in diagnostic and/or therapeutic applications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the growth of D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae mites in a semi-synthetic medium without animal-derived proteins to produce highly reproducible allergenic extracts for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes to be more consistent with the regulations of health authorities. Both species of mites showed optimal growth in the semi-synthetic culture medium. The highest expression of allergens Der p 1 and Der f 1 was observed at the last phases of mite growth. Semi-synthetic media without animal-derived proteins facilitated excellent growth rates of house dust mites in cultures. Adjusting the cultivation time to decide the optimal time point for the processing of the extracts is decisive.