Dust-mite allergen removal from feathers by commercial processing.

Background: Individuals with allergies or asthma have had a long-standing bias against the use of chicken, goose, and duck feather pillows, comforters, quilts, and mattresses.

Objective: We show that raw, unprocessed feathers contain dust-mite allergen that is removed by washing, and that feather pillows, whether covered or not, do not internally accumulate dust-mite allergen when used in mite-infested bedrooms over a 3-month period.

Methods: Feathers obtained from six companies as unprocessed feathers (n = 8 batches) and processed feathers (n = 16 batches) were analyzed for dust-mite (Der p 1 and Der f 1) using monoclonal antibody-based immunoenzyametric assays with appropriate internal controls.