SummaryBackground:Fluctuations in the level of mite allergens in domestic house dust are the result of changes in the balance between synthesis, removal and decay. Purely physical forces as well as enzymatic degradation, mediated by house dust inhabiting microbes, may contribute to the decay of allergens in domestic dust. Knowledge about the speed of decay is essential for an understanding of the dynamics of allergen levels.Objective:The present study is a quantitative assessment of the speed of decay at nine combinations of temperature (15°C, 20°C and 25°C) and relative humidity (33, 55 and 75).Methods:Samples of mite infested material of an old rug were stored at these temperature/relative humidity‐combinations for 6, 12 or 18 months, after the mites were killed by cither a freezing treatment or an acaricide (lindane). The microbes living in the rug presumably survive these treatments. Concentrations ofDer pI andDer pII+ Der fII. in extracts of the rug material, were measured by a radio immunoassay.Results:No significant changes in the levels ofDer pI andDer pII +Der fII, could be detected even after 11/2year at a high temperature and humidity.Conclusion:These findings incidate that mite allergens can be extremely stable under normal domestic circumsta
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