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In the article, four house dust allergen preparations of different degree of purification were examined in various institutes by means of physicochemical analysis, IgE binding, C-assay and cutaneous tests. The philosophy of this approach was that, if a chosen technique has any validity at all in standardization, potency differences among various preparations should reveal themselves in an equal manner, independent of the investigator. House dust extracts were prepared and purified according to a standard schedule and subfractions were coded as published.

The article focuses on the analysis and standardization of allergen extracts intended for therapeutic use. Over the past decade, many papers and international meetings have been devoted to establishing methods and requirements for analysis and standardization of allergen extracts. In fact, manufacturers and control authorities are in demand to produce procedures enabling precise and viable quantitation of allergenic activity as well as analysis of extracts. Such an approach would allow physicians to prescribe uniformly labeled extracts of known quality and guarantee therapeutic procedures.

Microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, fungi) may play a prominent role in triggering allergic manifestations. Either indirectly by releasing potentiating or immuno-modulation factors such as L.P.S. and peptidoglycans, or more directly by their numerous histamine--releasing potentials. However a difficulty remains to establish the relevance of such inter-relationships. The near future will probably give rise to better defined components from microbial origin, with a higher degree of specificity.

Venom from young (0 to 48 hours after eclosion) Vespa orientalis should presumably be less allergenic and/or antigenic than venom from adult hornets. This point was confirmed by skin tests, by crossed immunoelectrophoresis and by radioallergosorbent test (RAST), using rabbit IgG antibodies and human IgE antibodies. It is suggested that the venom of young hornets could have therapeutic applications.

The study of the immune status of breast cancer patients with delayed hypersensitivity skin tests reveals a clear immune deficiency in comparison with a reference patients group. This immunstatus was significantly improved by an immunstimulation with the P40 fraction. The responsive capacity to an immunstimulation appears independant of the lymphnodes involvment, whereas, on the contrary, the initial degree of immune deficiency appears connected. The P40 fraction has an immunstimulant effect comparable with the BCG and has not occasioned any local or general undesirable reaction.

Adverse reactions to diphtheria and tetanus toxoids have frequently been reported. The cause of these reactions has been attributed to different factors, including sensitization by prior vaccination. However, this explanation does not hold for primary vaccination. In this case, undesirable reactions to diphtheria toxoid are most likely due to bacterial cellular fractions present in the vaccines. In fact, we were able to demonstrate that fortuitous contact with atoxigenic diphtheria strains can induce sensitization. Consequently, vaccination should be carried out with highly purified toxoids, so as to prevent untoward reactions due to the presence of impurities. It is also preferable to detoxify purified toxins, rather than to purify crude toxoids.