1/18. Sensitization to oilseed rape is not due to cross-reactivity with grass pollen.BACKGROUND: Oilseed rape is an important crop grown in the UK which can cause specific immunological sensitization with clinical symptoms in a relatively small number of the general population. Individuals with immunoglobulin (Ig) E-mediated allergy to oilseed rape have also been found to be sensitized to other pollen allergens, most frequently being grass pollen. Cross-reactivity between common grass and oilseed rape would have important implications, especially as their flowering period coincides. OBJECTIVE: We have investigated whether the cosensitization found in individuals sensitized to both oilseed rape and grass pollen is due to cross-reactivity. methods: Cross-reactivity between oilseed rape and grass pollen was determined using RAST, RAST inhibition, Western blotting and inhibition studies with Western blotting. RESULTS: Competitive RAST inhibition studies between pollen of oilseed rape and grass failed to show any cross-reactivity between the pollen types. Self-inhibition with oilseed rape resulted in 90% inhibition, whereas there was less than 10% inhibition with grass pollen. Western blotting revealed allergens of similar molecular weight in both oilseed rape and grass pollen. Despite allergens of similar molecular weights being present in both pollen types, inhibition immunoblot studies confirmed that the allergens in the two allergens were immunologically distinct. CONCLUSION: The allergens of oilseed rape and grass pollen, although similar in molecular weights, are immunologically distinct and there is no evidence of cross-reactivity between them. Individuals allergic to grass pollen will not necessarily develop a specific nasal or airway response to inhaled oilseed rape pollens.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/18. Occupational asthma caused by grass pea used in the industrial processing of parquet.BACKGROUND: although grass pea belongs to the leguminoseae family, allergic reactions to its flour have rarely been described. Clinical and immunological studies were performed to confirm a type I hypersensitivity mechanism in a case of occupational asthma to grass pea flour exposure, used in the industrial processing of parquet. methods: occupational asthma was diagnosed according to patient history, PEFR monitoring and a specific bronchial challenge test. Skin prick test with an aqueous grass pea flour extract, specific IgE determinations (CAP assay) and IgE immunoblot tests were performed. RESULTS: skin prick test with the extract showed a positive immediate response, and negative response in controls. Specific IgE to grass pea was positive (9.57 KU/l). immunoblotting demonstrated the presence of specific serum IgE that recognized 3 proteins in the extract (MW 46, 32 and 28 kDa). PEFR monitoring showed positive results. Bronchial challenge test with the extract elicited an isolated immediate response. CONCLUSIONS: as far as we know this is the first time that IgE mediated occupational asthma caused by grass pea is reported and it is also the first time that its allergens are characterized. Grass pea flour might constitute a relevant occupational allergen in this unreported source of exposure in parquet manufacturers.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.69230769230769keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/18. A novel case of mealworm-induced occupational rhinitis in a school teacher.A 47-year-old African American female elementary schoolteacher presented with itchy, watery eyes, rhinorrhea, postnasal drainage, and nasal congestion complicated by recurrent epistaxis for 2 months. She had similar symptoms the previous year from September to May but was symptom free during the summer. Her symptoms began within 1 hour after entering the classroom and improved in the evening at home, on weekends, and vacation. She denied symptoms around dust, freshly cut grass, or pets and had no prior history of underlying allergic rhinitis and asthma. She had a 20-pack-a-year smoking history but quit 1 1/2 years ago. A detailed history of her classroom environment revealed the presence of mealworms that were used to teach the children about life cycles. Physical exam revealed swollen, erythematous nasal turbinates but was otherwise unremarkable. Prick skin testing was positive for oak tree, grasses, feathers, and cockroaches. Mealworm whole body extracts were prepared using standard methodology. Titration intracutaneous skin testing revealed a positive reaction at a 1:1000 concentration associated with a large delayed reaction 8 hours later that persisted for 24 hours. Specific nasal provocation using acoustic rhinometry revealed a dose response change in nasal volume (48% decrease at 1:100; 53% decrease at 1:50) and cross-sectional area (32% decrease at 1:100; 48% decrease at 1:50) in response to mealworm challenge compared with a saline control. Removal of the mealworms from the classroom resulted in complete relief of her symptoms. This is the first reported case of mealworm-induced rhinitis in a schoolteacher. Because mealworm demonstrations are now part of the standard curriculum in public school elementary classrooms in ohio, it is important that school administrators recognize the sensitizing nature of these insects and their potential for causing allergic rhinitis and asthma in the workplace.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.15384615384615keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/18. Specific sensitization to the common housefly (Musca domestica) not related to insect panallergy.BACKGROUND: Allergy to houseflies is rare. We report a case of respiratory allergy from occupational exposure to houseflies in a farmer. CASE REPORT: A 30 year-old female farmer with a long-standing history of grass pollen allergy observed for 2 years rhino-conjunctivitis and mild asthma when entering livestock stables and barns. Allergy retesting revealed sensitization to various pollens but not to animal danders. houseflies (Musca domestica) occurring on the farm in great quantity were suspected by the farmer herself as the causative agent. RESULTS: Skin prick testing with housefly was positive in the patient and negative in four controls. Experimental radioallergosorbant test was class 3 positive. Sensitization to house dust mite, storage mites and cockroach was not detectable. Western blots with housefly extracts revealed immunoglobulin e (IgE)-binding to bands of 70, 50, and approximately 16 kDa. tropomyosin in the housefly extract (35 kDa) was recognized by a tropomyosin reference serum but not by the patient. In enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) inhibition assays using housefly as the solid phase, IgE-binding of the patient was inhibited by 75% by M. domestica and by 44% by the closely related lesser housefly (Fannia canicularis), but not by extracts from blowfly (Lucilia spp.), fruit fly (drosophila spp.), horsefly (Haematopota pluvialis) and mosquito (culex pipiens). The IgE-binding of the tropomyosin control serum was inhibited by 60-80% by all species. CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with previous reports, this case demonstrates that respiratory sensitization to insects may be highly specific. According to ELISA inhibition, cross-sensitization in the present case was restricted to species of the family of true flies (muscidae).- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.076923076923077keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/18. Familial presentation of occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by aspergillus-contaminated esparto dust.Esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima), which is commonly found in the Mediterranean area, has a wide variety of uses. Five plaster workers from the same family developed cough, dyspnea, malaise, and fever after exposure to the esparto fiber used in their work for the previous few years. They showed a significant decrease in symptoms when away from work. Precipitating antibodies against an esparto extract were found in the sera of all patients. Specific IgG antibodies against aspergillus fumigatus were detected. A. fumigatus was identified after microbiologic evaluation of esparto fiber samples. The dust derived from fungi-contaminated esparto fibers can cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis in exposed subjects. The causative antigen is A. fumigatus. When esparto fibers were strongly contaminated by fungi, all the workers developed a clinical picture compatible with hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The coincidental finding of an occupational and a familiar condition is unusual.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.076923076923077keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/18. Occupational asthma due to carrot in a cook.BACKGROUND: Few previous reports of carrot-induced asthma have been confirmed by objective tests. hypersensitivity to carrot is frequently associated with allergy to apiaceae spices and sensitization to birch and mugwort pollens. CLINICAL CASE: A 40-year-old cook woman was seen with sneezing, rhinorrhea, contact urticaria and wheezing within few minutes of handling or cutting raw carrots. She needed to leave out of the kitchen while the other cooks cut raw carrots. methods AND RESULTS: skin tests were positive to carrot, celery, aniseed and fennel. Rubbing test with fresh carrot was positive. Specific IgE to carrot was 4.44 kU/L. Determinations of specific IgE to mugwort, grass and birch pollens were negative. Inhalative provocation test, performed as a handling test, was positive. The IgE-immunoblotting showed two bands in carrot extract: a band with apparent molecular weight of 30 kd and other band of 18 kd. This band of 18 kd was Dau c 1. The band of 30 kd could correspond a phenylcoumaran benzylic ether reductase. Dau c 1 did not appear to be the unique allergen in this case. Additional allergens may induce the sensitization. Primary sensitization due to airborne allergens of foods and the lack of pollen allergy in this patient are notorious events.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.076923076923077keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/18. role of Dau c 1 in three different patterns of carrot-induced asthma.OBJECTIVE: To assess the role of Dau c 1 in three patients with carrot induced asthma. MATERIAL AND methods: Patient 1 had asthma when handling raw carrots. Sensitization to pollens wasn't detected. Patient 2 had rhinoconjunctivitis due to grass and olive pollen allergy. She had asthma when handling raw carrots. Patient 3 was diagnosed of rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma due to allergic sensitization to mites, several pollens and cat. She had asthma due to raw carrot ingestion and inhalation. IgE immunobot analysis and ELISA inhibition assay were used to investigate the allergens and specific antibodies. RESULTS: IgE Immunoblot Analysis: Dau c 1 from carrot extract and the recombinant rDau c 1 were recognized by IgE from patients 1 and 2. Band of Bet v 1 in birch pollen extract wasn't recognized. Patient 3 didn't recognize any of these allergens. Specific IgE to rDau c 1 was measured by ELISA. Specific IgE ELISA-inhibition with carrot as solid phase showed an intermediate inhibition (30 %) between carrot and rDau c 1 in patient 1; and a considerable inhibition (nearly 100 %) between carrot and rDau c 1 in patient 2. No inhibition was found in patient 3. Specific IgE ELISA inhibition between rDau c 1 and rBet v 1, employing rDau c 1 as solid phase was made in patients 1 and 2. Bet v 1 showed less than 40 % of inhibition of rDau c 1 in patient 1; and an intermediate inhibition (> 40 %) between rBet v 1 and rDau c 1 in patient 2. CONCLUSIONS: Airborne carrot allergens are able to sensitize without the implication of a previous pollen allergy. Dau c 1 was the main allergen in patient 2. In patient 1, there was a band of 30 kd that looks like the predominant allergen. patients 1 and 2 were sensitized directly from carrot allergens. In patient 3, Dau c 1 isn't related to the carrot allergy. Allergy to carrot in patient 3 seems to be related to her allergy to different pollens; however, it wasn't related to birch pollen. Mediterranean countries didn't show the same patterns of food-related pollen allergy than Nordic countries.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.076923076923077keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/18. Occupational rhinitis and asthma due to cedroarana (Cedrelinga catenaeformis Ducke) wood dust allergy.We describe a case of occupational rhinitis and asthma in a 46-year-old carpenter who presented nasal and bronchial symptoms after cedrorana (Cedrelinga catenaeformis Ducke) wood dust exposure. Skin prick tests (SPT) with a battery of common allergens and different kinds of wood, were positive to cedrorana and grass pollen and negative to the other wood extracts. Nasal provocation and exposure challenge tests with Cedrorana wood dust also gave a positive reaction. IgE-immunoblotting showed two bands of 45 and 78 kDa respectively. This is the first reported case of occupational rhinitis and asthma due to Cedrorana wood dust where an IgE mediated mechanism has been found.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.076923076923077keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/18. Extrinsic allergic alveolitis caused by esparto (Stipa tenacissima).Extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) are clinical entities of growing importance. The discovered etiological agents which can induce them, organic and inorganic substances of low molecular weight which are frequently found in the laboral environment, are every day more numerous. In the group of substances which are rarely implied in EAA etiology, we must mention esparto (Stipa tenacissima), a grass of the graminea family widely used in spain. The EAA caused by Stipa tenacissima inhalation in known as stipatosis, a disease with poorly systematized clinical manifestations because of the few cases described in the literature so far. Our purpose in this report is to show the second case, in world literature, of EAA correctly characterized.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.076923076923077keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/18. Occupational asthma caused by two herb materials, dioscorea batatas and pinellia ternata.There have been very few cases of occupational allergies caused by herb materials. In this paper, we report a case of occupational asthma and rhinitis caused by two herb materials, dioscorea batatas and pinellia ternata, which are known as Sanyak and Banha respectively. The patient had strong positive responses to grass pollens and cat fur, as well as to Sanyak and Banha extracts on skin-prick tests. Bronchoprovocation tests showed a dual asthmatic response to Sanyak whereas only an early asthmatic response to Banha. serum specific IgE and IgG4 antibodies to Sanyak were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) but there was no specific IgE antibody binding to Banha. In order to further characterize the allergenic component of these extracts, sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and electroblotting studies were also performed. Three IgE binding components (29,000, 57,000, 63,000 Da) were detected within the Sanyak extracts, but no IgE-binding component was noted within the Banha extracts. It is suggested that Sanyak can induce IgE-mediated bronchoconstriction in an exposed worker. Further studies are needed to investigate the pathogenetic mechanism triggered by Banha.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.076923076923077keywords = grass (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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