Quantification of HDM allergens is essential to evaluate avoidance measures and specific treatments aimed at the reduction of mite populations and their allergens. This may be achieved by counting all mites in dust, and /or by measuring the content of Der p I and Der f I by ELISA. For convenience, recent studies have tried to find alternative methods to estimate allergen assays. The Acarex test, a semiquantitative assay of guanine content (found in HDM faeces) has been put forward as a suitable substitute. Indeed, under field conditions the Acarex score does show a correlation with Der p I levels, but it cannot replace the allergen assay when accurate data are required.

There is a significant correlation between human IgA and Der f I concentrations (determined using ELISA) in house dust collected from 180 samples collected trom homes in Michigan. In an epidemiological clinical trial, the correlation between levels of mite specific lgE (measured by radioallergosorbent technique) in patients and the level of mite group 1 allergen in mattresses leads to the proposal that serum-specific IgE levels could be used to predict mite exposure.

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