If you find black grains similar to earth on the chin or near the lips of your tailed pet, you should not console yourself that he, like a mole, digs the earth and it is just dirt. Felines are very clean animals and do not allow such an abundance of dirt on their bodies.
But at the same time, there is no need to panic. Most likely it is acne, a disease similar to human pimples and acne. It seems like a small thing, but it’s ugly and unpleasant.
Flea - appearance, structure, symptoms
Fleas are found everywhere. This is a fairly large order of insects, which includes subspecies that feed on cat, dog, rat and even human blood. They differ from each other in size, color of the chitinous cover and some features of the body structure.
What does a cat flea look like?
The cat flea is one of the most common and small species among the flea order. The size of an adult insect rarely exceeds 3 mm. For comparison, fleas that feed on human blood have body sizes of up to 5 mm, and moose fleas often reach a length of 12 cm! They move quite quickly on the animal’s body, as they are perfectly adapted for movement in thick fur. They have a body that is flattened laterally, allowing them to maneuver between hairs, and long hind legs, with the help of which fleas are able to make jumps up to half a meter long.
The color of a cat flea can vary from light red to dark brown. Sometimes there are almost black insects that are practically invisible in the fur of an animal with a dark color. Upon closer examination, one can discern light stripes on the abdomen that form at the joints of the abdomen. They become most noticeable when the insect is saturated, when its body increases in size.
What does a flea look like on a cat's body? Outwardly, they look like large grains of dirt stuck in the fur, and only at the moment of their movement it becomes clear that these are insects. A lot of deception is facilitated by flea excrement remaining on the skin of the animal, which is sometimes mistaken for insect eggs.
Flea larvae are not at all similar to adult insects. Outwardly, they look like legless and eyeless dark-colored worms with sparse bristles on the segments of their body. They are very small, no more than 6 mm in length and 1-2 mm in thickness. Unlike adult fleas, larvae do not feed on blood and live outside the animal’s body, in the folds of upholstery of upholstered furniture, carpet pile, and cracks in ceilings.
Flea eggs are small, white, about 0.5 mm long. Females lay them on the floor of the room, where they further develop to the larval stage. Flea eggs look like grains of semolina stuck to your finger:
Interesting fact! Fleas do not live on animals permanently. They only feed on their blood, but live on the floor of the room, in all sorts of cracks and in the upholstery of furniture.
Body structure
If you look at a flea from a close distance, you can see that its entire body is covered with numerous bristles and spines. They help the insect stay on the animal's body. The bristles are located over the entire surface of the body, on the limbs, back, and head. At the ends of the legs, 2 claws are also clearly visible; with their help, the flea moves in the thick undercoat. The hind legs are well developed and consist of 5 segments. The forelimbs are somewhat shorter, they do not participate in jumping and are mainly adapted for moving along the animal’s fur.
Female fleas are usually somewhat larger than males due to their voluminous abdomen, where they carry their eggs for the time being. In the back of the body in both sexes there is a peculiar tactile organ equipped with sensitive hairs.
Symptoms of fleas
- on the back;
- near the ears;
- in the armpit;
- on the skin in the chest and cervical area of the body.
Cats can seriously damage their skin when trying to get rid of insects.
Microbes get into the wounds, which in some cases leads to inflammation of the skin and the development of all kinds of dermatitis. If you suspect that there are fleas in the house, first check the animal's skin. As a rule, insect waste products can be found on it - black lumps of digested blood. When rubbed between your fingers, they break up into small particles. There are usually quite a lot of such traces left in the thick undercoat. In shorter and less dense hair there are fewer of them, since they are combed by the animal onto the floor, where they become food for flea larvae.
Interesting fact! After saturation, fleas jump off the animal and hide in floor cracks or other hard-to-reach places. The next “feeding” occurs no earlier than in a day.
Prevention
If your cat has black spots on his nose, the cause may be hidden in the dishes. This is especially true when using plastic. Change your pet's bowl. If we talk about the material, then ceramics, glass, iron are suitable. Don’t forget to change the animal’s water; this should be done at least once a day.
If your pet is prone to obesity, think about its diet. Don’t forget to strengthen the little predator’s immunity with vitamins and microelements. And if your cat is a born dirty person, do not hesitate to wash your pet.
With a little care, you can forget about your cat’s blackheads.
Still have questions? You can ask them to our site's in-house veterinarian, who will answer them as soon as possible, in the comment box below.
Causes of fleas
- while walking in contact with an infected animal;
- through household items that have insect eggs and larvae on their surface;
- when adult insects are brought into the house on clothes or their larvae with dirt on shoes;
- from neighboring apartments where there are infected animals.
Do cat fleas bite people? A hungry flea attacks anyone who is nearby. There are no special restrictions in her diet, although she still prefers the blood of animals, and of a certain species. There is evidence that fleas attack people in the absence of their pets. Single bites can also be observed when the apartment is heavily infested with insects.
Fleas from cats are not transmitted to humans in the literal sense of the word. Insects only feed on animals and, accordingly, will not live on humans. However, they can migrate from place to place by jumping onto a person's clothing. This can happen if he walks near their habitat or pets an outdoor cat. Fleas can also move into the folds of clothing if a person picks up care items for an animal infested with insects.
Advice! To protect yourself from flea attacks, you need to carefully monitor the sanitary situation in your apartment - periodically wash the floor, wipe off dust, and wash dirty linen. It is in dust and piles of garbage that insects live and their larvae develop.
Complications
Complications of seborrhea may be the following:
- Purulent dermatitis. Occurs in the area affected by seborrhea due to the layering of bacterial flora, usually located on the upper layer of the epithelium and does not cause reactions. Ulcerations form, itching intensifies, and the skin becomes very red.
- Eczema. Redness and itching of the affected area after scratching becomes covered with papules (nodules), in place of which vesicles (bubbles) with liquid appear. Pyogenic bacteria enter places with opened blisters, the wounds become infected and ulcers, ulcers and erosions appear. The skin is constantly inflamed, swollen, raw, and the animal is in pain.
Fighting methods
Animal processing
- shampoos
- sprays
- drops
- collars
- pills.
Anti-flea shampoos that contain an insecticide have proven themselves to be excellent. With their help, you can get rid of insects on an animal in one go. They are relatively safe for cats and last quite a long time after treatment. However, shampoos are not always convenient to use, especially if your pet is afraid of water. In this case, you can use flea spray.
Insecticidal preparations in the form of a spray are applied to the surface of the cat's skin, and certain protective measures must be taken to protect both the animal and the person carrying out the treatment. The face is covered with a gauze mask, and gloves are put on the hands. It is best to wear a special collar on your pet, designed to prevent the animal from licking the drug from its fur. You also need to cover the cat's eyes, nose and mouth.
Flea drops are applied to the animal's withers. This is perhaps one of the easiest to use products and is most popular among cat owners. It effectively rids the animal of fleas and at the same time is practically safe for the animal, since the toxic substance is applied to an area of the body inaccessible to the cat’s tongue.
Collars serve more as a preventative measure of protection, repelling insects from the animal while it walks around the yard. They are valid for a limited time and must be changed periodically.
The tablets are intended for internal use. They are given to the cat with food or simply placed on the root of the tongue and, stroking the throat, force it to swallow. As a rule, tablets can be used from 3 months of age, however, the condition of the animal must be taken into account and the dosage must be strictly observed so as not to harm its health.
Vaccination is a relatively new way to rid pets of fleas. It is quite effective and lasts for a long time after injection. However, this method cannot be used on pregnant or lactating cats, as the active substance may affect the growth and development of kittens.
Advice! When choosing a flea drop, you need to carefully study its composition and make sure that it does not contain pyrmethrin, since this insecticide is contraindicated for use on cats.
Treatment of a young animal
How to remove fleas from a kitten? The peculiarity of processing a young animal is that there is always a danger of poisoning it with an insecticidal preparation. Small kittens under the age of two months are breastfed by their mother and any external product applied to their fur will be immediately licked off by her and then passed into the body of the cubs with milk. Therefore, mechanical processing methods are mainly used:
- combing the fur with a fine comb;
- catching insects by hand;
- bathing with herbal decoctions.
There are also special shampoos for younger kittens, but they can be used on babies who have already been weaned from their mother.
From 2 months, provided that the kittens are separated from their mother, the following drugs are used:
- shampoos for kittens;
- flea powder;
- spray.
Shampoos are diluted in accordance with the instructions and applied to the pet’s coat. After a certain time, it is washed off, and dead insects are combed out with a comb. The powder is rubbed into the kitten's skin using your fingers, and care must be taken to ensure that the kitten does not lick the product from the surface of the fur. The spray is first applied to the palms and then distributed over the scalp. When processing, you need to exercise some caution and not bring your hands with the drug to your face.
Starting from 3 months of age, when treating kittens, you can use almost all drugs intended for adult animals.
Apartment pest control
- aerosols;
- powder preparations;
- means in the form of solutions.
Aerosols give very fast and effective results. It is enough to treat the room with them once and you can forget about fleas for a long time. However, this type of insecticide has the following disadvantages:
Powders act for a longer time, however, you have to wait longer for the results from them. Disinsection with their help will require long-term wet cleaning to wash away traces of the insecticide from surfaces. Powder preparations are scattered or sprayed indoors, trying to pay special attention to possible insect habitats:
- cracks in the floor;
- corners of rooms;
- the space behind the baseboards;
- floor surfaces under cabinets, beds, sofas.
Liquid products are diluted in accordance with the instructions and applied to places where insects accumulate using a sprayer. You can also simply wash the floor in your apartment with them. When processing, the following personal safety measures must be observed:
- put rubber gloves on your hands;
- cover your face with a protective mask;
- do not consume food or drinks during disinsection;
- remove food and personal items.
Treatment with liquid products gives a good long-term effect, but it is quite labor-intensive and will require a significant investment of time.
- pseudotuberculosis is an acute infectious disease that, despite the name, has nothing to do with pulmonary tuberculosis;
- tularemia is a bacterial infection that affects the lymph nodes;
- brucellosis is an infection that affects multiple organs and systems of the human body;
- Dipylidiasis - infection with tapeworms.
In addition, it can cause allergic dermatitis; the itching at the bite sites is quite strong and lasts for several days, during which a person is able to scratch the bite site until it bleeds, which, in turn, can lead to infection directly into the wound.
How to understand that there are fleas in the house
You can easily spot bloodsuckers in animal fur, but their eggs and larvae are so small that it is quite difficult to see them with the naked eye. However, in advanced cases of infection, when the number of larvae and eggs becomes colossal, they can be seen this way: tiny white balls are flea eggs. The photo shows eggs covered in wool.
In the case of an advanced form of infection, the animal suffers greatly, it may develop bald patches, the skin becomes covered with blisters, small red bite marks, and a lump can be felt at the site of the bite. This skin reaction is called allergic dermatitis, and is caused by insect saliva.
Main features
Signs of seborrhea in a cat:
- excessively oily skin under the coat;
- excessive amount of white “scales” of keratinized skin;
- inflammation (redness) of the skin;
- presence of itching.
There are three types of seborrhea:
- dry: “scales” of skin fall off when stroking the fur;
- oily: dandruff does not fall off when combed, the “scales” are glued together;
- mixed type.
Effective means
Collars
But you need to remember that the effect of the collar is limited in time, and it must be changed approximately every 3-4 months.
Flea shampoos
An effective flea treatment can be purchased at a veterinary pharmacy. Before use, you should carefully read the instructions, since the concentration of toxic substances in shampoos may differ from each other, so it is important to follow the recommendations on the volume that must be used to treat animal hair.
Flea drops
Insecticides
It is better to purchase toxic flea products for treating your garden plot, basement and premises from the sanitary and epidemiological service. You can also order the treatment of a room or yard if for some reason you cannot do it yourself.
The product must be dissolved in water according to the instructions and thoroughly sprayed on the yard, garden plot or basement. Since poisons are often very toxic, take care to follow safety precautions: wear a respirator and gloves.
Sometimes pet owners are perplexed - they seem to have treated their pet’s fur, but after a while the animal begins to itch and bite fleas again. How so? The fact is that adult fleas live on animals, and they lay their eggs not only in the animal’s fur, but throughout the house:
- in crevices;
- behind the baseboard;
- in the pet's bedding;
- in carpets;
- in places where dust accumulates, etc.
The pests are very small, the length of an adult individual barely reaches three millimeters. Flea eggs are even smaller. They have a round shape and white color. Detecting flea eggs, photos of which can be seen in the article, is extremely difficult. But you need to know where the flea can lay them. Then the problem of how to destroy flea eggs is much easier to solve.
Treatment tips
If you decide to rid your pet of acne on your own, follow these simple rules to speed up recovery:
- Do not use brushes to scratch the damaged surface.
- There is no need to frequently and generously lubricate the affected area, as this will cause the skin to dry out.
- If you use iodine, brilliant green or alcohol-containing liquids for a long time to treat blackheads, you can provoke an increase in the secretion of the sebaceous glands. As a result, your pet is guaranteed a new blockage and diffuse spreading of the rash. If your cat has black spots on his nose, you can use water-based methylene blue instead of brilliant green. It has the same healing properties, but it will not cause irritation.
- If you use ointment, apply it in a thin layer. Otherwise, the skin will not breathe, which will lead to another outbreak of dermatitis.
In conclusion, I would like to give you some advice - if you find black spots in your cat’s fur, show him to the veterinarian. After all, most skin diseases are associated with problems of internal organs. Suddenly your pet has problems with the liver or gastrointestinal tract. In this case, you won’t be able to limit yourself to just one ointment or lotion.
Getting rid of fleas
Dissolve a small amount of shampoo in water and wash the floors throughout the house with this water, spray it on the carpets and clean them. Wash your pet's bedding with this product and give your pet a bath.
To prevent fleas from bothering you, you must follow simple rules:
If you have a pet in the house, then regardless of whether a collar is on or not, the animal’s fur has been treated with flea drops - you should always examine your pet after a walk.
If you follow these simple steps, you will never remember such a problem as fleas.
Even experienced cat owners cannot always boast of an excellent knowledge of all the ailments that can happen to a pet. What can we say, only a veterinarian can know everything. Careful owners can only pay attention to their furry pet in a timely manner and not leave seemingly minor changes unattended.
Why are black spots in cats' fur considered an alarming symptom?
The appearance of black grains in a cat's fur does not bode well. Unless it's dirt from your last walk (which is unlikely, given that most pets never leave their home). Scary thoughts immediately come to mind about parasites that you can become infected with without even going outside. Particularly dangerous are cases when the animal ruptures the lesions until they bleed and there is a risk of secondary infection, which significantly complicates the diagnosis and rapid recovery.
White grains (microscopic balls)
White specks on cats' fur can only be noticed upon careful inspection.
One of the strange manifestations of cat malaise is white grains or microscopic balls that fall off the animal’s fur. They are not noticed immediately. At first, they only evoke puzzled glances from the owner and a silent question in his eyes. Where do the mysterious grains come from and what are they?
White grains are nothing more than flea eggs that have not yet hatched. They can get on the animal's skin and, accordingly, on the fur.
What to do and how to detect
If you notice a change in your pet's behavior, carefully examine him to see if he is bothered by fleas.
First of all, you shouldn't panic. In order not to bring the situation to critical limits, it is necessary to monitor the cat more often. This advice may seem very uninteresting and philistine, but this is the only way to notice changes in the health of your pet.
It is necessary to inspect your pet and the places where he recently sat more often.
Flea eggs in the form of white grains will be especially noticeable on dark surfaces.
Having discovered uninvited guests, it is important to begin eliminating them as quickly as possible.
What to do if you notice black spots on your cat's chin?
If the owner carefully watches the pet, then he perceives every change in well-being and appearance with alarm. If black spots appear on a cat's chin, this becomes a cause for serious concern about the pet.
A sign that is subtle and harmless at first glance indicates problems in the body or lack of proper care. In veterinary practice, this symptom is given the name “Acne”. Before prescribing treatment procedures, the doctor needs to find out the cause of the disease.
Getting rid of the source of white grains
Bathe your cat only with special shampoos.
- Next, you need to treat the cat with flea drops
, which are applied to the withers.
Flea drops for cats are very effective.
- The next step should be a flea collar
.
Thanks to special impregnation, the collar repels fleas.
Many limit themselves to drops and ignore collars. Meanwhile, they represent a very powerful defense option. A classic flea collar is impregnated with a special substance that repels fleas.
The action continues for 6 months.
Grains, i.e. Flea eggs appear after adult fleas have settled on the body; they lay their offspring.
Consolidate the result
You should pay attention not only to your pet’s hygiene, but also to the cleanliness of its bed or house.
After treating the cat, you should take care of the living space.
There are probably eggs left in the apartment that have fallen from the cat’s fur. They can lie unnoticed for a long time until adults hatch from them.
All carpets, mattresses, soft furnishings and bedding should be thoroughly washed and vacuumed.
This point should not be missed, otherwise all the cat’s treatment will be in vain.
In addition to the actions taken, a visit to the doctor would be useful.
He will examine the animal's body and may find painful scratches on the skin from flea bites. You can do this yourself. But the specialist will give all the necessary recommendations.
Preventive measures
It is important to take action at the slightest suspicion of fleas in a cat.
And of course, it is necessary to have your cat examined at least several times a month.
The fur needs to be spread apart so that the skin is visible. A healthy purr is always clean.
List of measures to prevent the occurrence of the disease
To prevent the appearance of black spots in a cat’s fur, it is not recommended to use disposable or plastic dishes for feeding your pet, which are a favorable environment for the appearance and proliferation of bacteria.
Make sure your cat's bowls are kept clean at all times.
It is important to change the water at least once a day
You need to select fillers and food with caution - they may contain chemicals that lead to an allergic reaction, and, as a result, more serious diseases
Don’t forget about the animal’s immunity - it is advisable for a cat to drink a monthly vitamin complex twice a year.
I graduated from the National State Agricultural Academy and have been working as a veterinarian for 8 years.
In my free time, I write articles about the diagnosis and treatment of cats.
Source
conclusions
A responsible owner always takes a short course of veterinary lectures without attending classes. Knowledge comes with experience caring for a pet. This is good, because an owner savvy with skills and theory will always be able to help a defenseless animal in a timely manner.
Unfortunately, in the early stages, some dangerous infections occur without obvious symptoms. Only with constant attention to the health and behavior of your pet can you recognize the presence of fleas, worms or worms in your pet.
Treatment:
- treating the affected areas with a weak solution of Citeal (with the permission of the veterinarian);
- applying Butox 50, Amitraz, Advocate or Stronghold;
- special formulations are recommended for the destruction of subcutaneous mites: Acaromectin, Cydem, Neostomazan, Ivermec;
- after removing crusts and partially cleansing problem areas, it is not solutions that are required, but preparations of a thicker consistency: ointments, liniments, gels. Effective products: Amidel-gel, Demos, Aversectin ointment.
Worms
Kinds:
Treatment:
Effective drugs for helminthiasis in cats:
- Alben S (tablets).
- Prazicide (suspension).
- Dironet (suspension).
- Drontal (tablets).
- Pyrantel (suspension).
Symptoms
If black specks appear on a cat's skin, the pet owner should check for other symptoms of the disease. For example, a cat may suffer :
- baldness;
- swelling of the body;
- redness of the skin;
- small pimples that increase in size and number over time.
Pay attention to your pet's behavior. The appearance of black dots on a cat’s body is often accompanied by itching, due to which the animal becomes restless and constantly itches. Only an experienced veterinarian can make an accurate diagnosis after conducting the necessary research work.
Diagnostic results help to find out the exact cause of the appearance of dark spots on the fur and skin of a pet. It may turn out that the grains are due to the activity of parasites, a fungal infection, or as a result of a skin biopsy. A timely veterinary examination will allow you to exclude similar diseases, which include :
- demodicosis;
- cat scabies;
- dermatophytosis;
- allergic reactions;
- eosinophilic granuloma.
The black dots that appear under the cat's fur are most likely skin plugs clogged with excess sebum, or a manifestation of an internal disease.
Preventive measures
A few more simple measures:
More useful information on how to recognize the presence of worms in your beloved pet and how to deal with them can be heard by watching the following video:
Fleas, like many other types of insects, undergo a complete transformation in their development. Actually, that’s what they’re called: insects with a full cycle of transformation. This means that the eggs laid by the female flea hatch into larvae that are very different from adult fleas in both their appearance and lifestyle.
Black spots in cats and cats: why and what to do
People rarely focus on the fact that a cat has black spots on its chin. From their point of view, this is a frequent occurrence and does not pose a threat. But if you dig deeper, you can find out that the presence of blackheads on the chin and other parts of the body is a signal. In some cases, this is a sign of illness or, at least, a consequence of improper care. Therefore, let's find out where black dots appear on the beard and other parts of the body of our pets, what they can mean and how to deal with this scourge.
What do flea larvae look like?
Flea larvae look like tiny white worms with a translucent body. Even if you look carefully, you cannot see their legs - they simply don’t exist. But the body of the larva is covered with sparse hairs, clearly visible under a magnifying glass or microscope.
The photo, enlarged several times, shows a flea larva:
In her body, the esophagus is clearly visible, filled with digestible food - various organic residues.
The maximum length of flea larvae that can be found in residential premises is 4-5 mm, the usual length is 2-3 mm. They can easily be confused with fly larvae that live in similar places, but the maggot is more mobile and does not have such transparent body coverings.
The flea larva has a fairly large head and 13 segments. Evolutionarily, the first three segments served to attach the legs, but gradually the limbs atrophied as unnecessary. Flea larvae have well-developed jaws of the scraping-gnawing type, allowing them to feed on fairly rough food.
The photo below shows flea eggs and larvae:
This is interesting
The smallest flea larvae, just emerging from the egg, have a small egg tooth on the crown of their head - a hard outgrowth that helps them break through the egg shell and emerge into the world. At the first molt, the tooth falls off along with the chitinous shell of the body.
In the photo there are large numbers of flea larvae in a rodent cage:
On a note
The development of the larva continues, depending on the availability of food and temperature conditions, from 9 days to several months.
Under optimal conditions - a temperature of about 23°C and an air humidity of 60%, the larvae develop in approximately three weeks. During this time, they molt three times, constantly grow and feed. At the last stage, the larva envelops itself in a thin silk cocoon and turns into a pupa.
At too high temperatures, flea larvae dry out - at low humidity this occurs already at 34-36°C. At high air humidity (up to 90%), growing juveniles experience this temperature quite normally.
Flea larvae can starve for quite a long time - up to 3-4 weeks. At the same time, they do not develop, do not grow, but also do not fall into suspended animation. The larvae have developed the so-called negative phototaxis - wherever they find themselves, they try to get into the least illuminated place. Although the eyes of flea larvae are practically undeveloped, they sense the presence of light well and try to hide from the illuminated place.
Where to look for flea larvae in an apartment or house?
Flea larvae usually stay where they have direct access to food and can be found in comfortable climatic conditions - in garbage, secluded warm places, in animal cages - in the toilet and under beds. In nature - in the nests and burrows of mammals and birds.
In apartments and houses, flea larvae should be looked for primarily in places where cats, dogs and other pets live and are kept, in heaps of garbage in pantries and closets, among stocks of old grocery products.
In garden plots, chicken coops and animal keeping areas, flea larvae live directly in the litter and dried droppings. It is under the layer of garbage and droppings in the same chicken coop that flea larvae sometimes swarm literally in the thousands.
However, you can also find flea larvae in completely unexpected places - in vases with flowers, under trash cans, in a box in which vegetables are stored. It is important to understand that they do not start here on their own, and you should look for them only when adult fleas were found in the apartment.
The photo below shows a flea larva under a microscope - you can easily correlate its size with the thickness of a cat's hair:
Means and methods for destroying flea larvae
Flea larvae should be destroyed indoors using the same means that are used against adult fleas:
- these can be as concentrates for dilution such as Executioner, Cucarachi or Tetrix, Raptor or Combat aerosols;
- as well as microencapsulated products such as Dana or Get (the latter has almost no odor);
- and even folk remedies - turpentine, kerosene, vinegar.
Traditional substances such as Dichlorvos or Karbofos are also effective against flea larvae, but in terms of safety and ease of use they are much inferior to modern drugs.
Dusts are also effective against flea larvae, but are practically useless against adult fleas. However, using powdered insecticides is somewhat more difficult, since they need to be scattered in places where the larvae are constantly located, which is sometimes problematic, and sometimes, when the larvae are found behind baseboards or under the floor, it is completely impossible.
In this case, it is very important that the dust itself is certainly near the larvae, since it only works when the pests eat it along with other food. Therefore, it turns out to be generally more difficult to deal with larvae than with adult fleas - even with aerosols, when fighting them, you need to treat places where it is very difficult to get close and where adult fleas themselves are not found.
This is interesting
Black spots in a cat's fur
You should not expect that black specks in a cat’s fur will go away on their own, since without the use of modern drugs it is very difficult to get rid of parasites. Well, if it’s an allergic reaction, then you can do without dieting and switching to hypoallergenic food.
