Being allergic to dogs is a common malady and one that is growing worldwide. There have been many research efforts describing the nature and progression of dog allergies, but there have been very few applied studies that use this information to try to cure people of dog allergies entirely by artificially inducing immune tolerance. But researchers have now, for the first time, identified candidates for those parts of the molecules that make up dog allergens that could give us precisely that: a “dog allergy vaccine.”
Over the years, scientists have been able to identify seven different dog allergens—molecules or molecular structures that bind to an antibody and produce an unusually strong immune response that would usually be harmless. But while there are seven, just one is responsible for the majority (50-75 percent) of reactions in people allergic to dogs. It is found in dogs’ tongue tissue, salivary glands, and skin.
via Whisker Therapy