Automated dander dispersal in a cat Naturalistic Exposure Chamber (NEC).

While the measured allergen levels are much less variable than those in homes or studies using blanket shaking, some variability was observed, as was expected due to natural variation in the cats' allergen production, changes in human and cat activity, and the effects of cleaning. Keywords: aerobiology; animal models; asthma; challenge tests; clinical immunology EN aerobiology animal models asthma challenge tests clinical immunology 685 687 3 02/01/22 20220201 NES 220201 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors thank Karim Saadé, Zachary Huffman, Kieran Eveleigh, and Nicholas Ogrodnik for their support in testing and development. To account for the greater size of the chamber, rather than increasing the number of cats, carpet allergen levels were supplemented by shaking cat bedding several days in advance of testing, and by adding 10 or 20 g of additional milled cat hair (Stallergenes Greer) directly to the carpets. [Extracted from the article]