In their presence, your eyes water and itch, your nose runs and you sneeze… Good news, if you are allergic to cats, a vaccine to avoid these inconveniences could soon emerge. HypoCat is the name given by scientists to this remedy capable of suppressing the allergic reaction. Let the phobic of needles be reassured, it is the cat who receives the injection of the vaccine.
Allergies to cats are caused by a protein called Fel-d1, which is found on the skin and in the fur of the animal. The protein attaches to cat dander, small particles of dry skin that spread easily in the environment, such as the surface of bedding or sofas.
In cat allergies, the penetration of this protein into the respiratory tract, assimilated to an allergenic agent, causes the release of a large amount of histamine, explains the Daily Mail.
A disruption of the immune system causing allergic symptoms
It is this over-runaway immune system that is at the origin of the allergic symptoms.
The Hypocat vaccine, tested on 54 cats, has the effect of reducing the amount of the Fel-d1 protein. Cats that received the vaccine produced antibodies that destroyed this protein.
Scientists at the University Hospital of Zurich (Switzerland), authors of this discovery, are betting on the vaccine’s commercialization within three years. They assure that it will make life easier for the owners of the cats by keeping them safe from chronic diseases as’asthma. For animals, this will limit the cases of abandonment, which are too frequent.
Their research will be published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
The number of people with allergies has been steadily increasing in recent years. Between 25 to 30% of the population is allergic to something, according to Inserm.
Read also
More than 1,000 allergenic substances could be banned in clothing
Hay fever: do I go to the pharmacist or the allergist?
