THE LONG-TERM GOAL OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO PREPARE HIGH QUALITY, WELL-STANDARDIZED EXTRACTS OF FUNGAL SPORE ALLERGENS FOR USE IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ALLERGICPATIENTS, ESPECIALLY ASTHMATICS. BESIDE STUDYING A NUMBER

OF COMMON IMPERFECT FUNGI, WE WILL PARTICULARLY ON THE PREPARATION OF EXTRACTS OF BASIDIOSPORES AND OTHER PERFECT FUNGI THAT ARE COMMONLY FOUND IN THE ENVIRONMENT. THIS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT WILL PROVIDE THE CLINICIAN WITH EXTRACTS THAT ARE UNIQUE IN SEVERAL ASPECTS: (A) EXTRACTS OF PURE SPORES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME; (B) EXTRACTS OF SEVERAL BASIDIOSPORES THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN ASTHMA AND OTHER ALLERGIES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME; (C) OUR HIGH-QUALITY, STANDARDIZED EXTRACTS WILL PROVIDE THE ALLERGIST WITH A REAL ALTERNATIVE TO THE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE UNSTANDARDIZED EXTRACTS OF "WHOLEFUNGI". WE DRAW AN ANALOGY BETWEEN THE NEED FOR SPORE VS. WHOLE BODY EXTRACTS OF THE HYMENOPTERA IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF ALLERGIC DISEASE. IN PHASE I WE WILL: (A) PREPARE IMMUNOCHEMICALLY STANDARDIZED EXTRACTS OF SPORESOF THE IMPERFECT FUNGUS "CLADOSPORIUM HERBARUM" AND THE BASIDIOMYCETE "AGARICUS BRUNNESCENS" ("AGARICUS CAMPESTRIS",THE COMMON MUSHROOM); (B) CONTINUE TO EVALUATE THE SPECIES OF FUNGAL SPORES PRESENT IN THE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH ARE LIKELY TO BE IMPLICATED IN ALLERGIC DISEASE AND WHICH WE WILL IDENTIFY FOR FUTURE STUDIES. THE SPORES WILL BE ISOLATED IN LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 99% PURITY AND EXTRACTED UNDER CONDITIONS THAT PROVIDE OPTIMAL EXTRACTION OF RELEVANTALLERGENS AND STABILITY OF EACH OF THE COMPONENTS. THE ALLERGENIC ACTIVITY OF THE EXTRACTED MATERIALS WILL BE EVALUATED BY SKIN TESTING OF ALLERGIC INDIVIDUALS AND RAST-INHIBITION ANALYSIS. COMPLETE ANTIGENIC ANALYSES OF EACH OF THESE MATERIALS WILL BE PERFORMED BY CROSSED IMMUNOELECTROPHORESIS (CIE); SPECIFIC ALLERGENIC COMPONENTS WILL BE IDENTIFIED BY CROSSED RADIOIMMUNOELECTROPHORESIS (CRIE). WE ANTICIPATE THAT THIS RESEARCH WILL LEAD TO THE IDENTIFICATION OF SOME MAJOR NEW ALLERGENS INVOLVED IN ATOPIC DISEASE, WHICH WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PRACTICING ALLERGIST AS STANDARDIZED PREPARATIONS.