SummaryThe whole body extracts (WBEs) of female and male cockroaches (Periplaneta americana; Pa) were prepared separately to study the specific and/or shared allergenic and antigenic components in the two sexes. These two extracts were skin‐tested on 170 respiratory allergy patients and 52 (30–6) of them elicited a markedly positive cutaneous reaction (2+ to 4+) to any one or both the WBEs. Of these 52 patients, 32 (61·5) produced a 2+ to 4+ response to only one, and the remaining 20 (38·5) to both the extracts. In female and male RASTs toPaboth the extracts produced dose‐related inhibition. Using rabbitanti‐Pafemale serum: (1) immuno‐diffusion experiments resulted in lines of identity with the two extracts, and (2) the two‐dimensional immunoelectrophoresisof Pafemale andPamale WBEs elicited 12 and nine precipitin peaks, respectively. In partial purification studies, only fractionPa(F)III (∼ 50 kD) ofPafemale WBE andPa(M)I ( 600 kD) andPa(M)III (∼ 50 kD) fractionsof Pamale WBE revealed significant allergen activity both on skin testing and also in RAST inhibition studies. These results provide evidence for the presence of shared as well as specific allergenic and antigenic components in the two sexes of A
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