INSECT ALLERGY--PRELIMINARY STUDIES OF THE COCKROACH.

F or many years the role of insects as sources of both injectant and inhalant allergens has received much attention. l-4 A survey of these studies, however, reveals that the allergenic potential of the cockroach, a member of the family Bluttidae Orthoptera, has not been fully recognized. There are about 55 species of cockroaches in the United States, of which only seven or eight constitute a menace to indoor sanitation. Our studies were limited to the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana, and to the Oriental cockroach, Bktta orientalis.