Animal allergy
Encyclopedia
In medicine
, animal allergy is hypersensitivity to certain substances produced by animals, such as the proteins in animal hair and saliva. It is a common type of allergy
.
, leading to a misdirected immune response. The immune system normally protects the body against harmful substances such as bacteria and virus
es. Allergy occurs when the immune system reacts to substances (allergen
s) that are generally harmless and in most people do not cause an immune response.
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, animal allergy is hypersensitivity to certain substances produced by animals, such as the proteins in animal hair and saliva. It is a common type of allergy
Allergy
An Allergy is a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system. Allergic reactions occur when a person's immune system reacts to normally harmless substances in the environment. A substance that causes a reaction is called an allergen. These reactions are acquired, predictable, and rapid...
.
Causes
Allergies are caused by an oversensitive immune systemImmune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
, leading to a misdirected immune response. The immune system normally protects the body against harmful substances such as bacteria and virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es. Allergy occurs when the immune system reacts to substances (allergen
Allergen
An allergen is any substance that can cause an allergy. In technical terms, an allergen is a non-parasitic antigen capable of stimulating a type-I hypersensitivity reaction in atopic individuals....
s) that are generally harmless and in most people do not cause an immune response.
- Animal hairFurFur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
and danderDanderDander is an informal term for a material shed from the body of various animals, similar to dandruff. It may contain scales of dried skin and hair, or feathers. It is a cause of allergies in humans.... - cockroachCockroachCockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria or Blattodea, of which about 30 species out of 4,500 total are associated with human habitations...
calyx - dust mite excretion