Immediate hypersensitivity to Parthenium hysterophorus. II. Clinical studies on the prevalence of parthenium rhinitis

P. SRIRAMARAO, S. NAGPAL, B. S. SUBBA RAO, OM PRAKASH, P. V. SUBBA RAO

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22 Scopus citations

Abstract

The airborne pollen of the South American weed, Parthenium hysterophorus (American feverfew), accidentally introduced into India was found to he responsible for severe allergic rhinitis. A random clinical survey conducted on 2035 residents of Bangalore city with the aid of questionnaires and skin tests revealed that 7.1% of the study population was suffering from allergic rhinitis due to exposure to Parthenium pollen. Skin‐prick tests performed on 1294 clinic patients suffering from nasobronchial allergy during the past 4 years have also shown that 42.5% were sensitive to Parthenium pollen. IgE and IgG antibodies specific for Parthenium pollen allergens were demonstrable in the sera of Parthenium‐sensitive rhinitis patients. The specificity of these antibodies in Parthenium allergens was established by ELISA. A 7‐ to 11‐fold higher stimulation was observed when lymphocytes from two Parthenium‐sensitive rhinitis patients were treated in vitro with Parthenium pollen extract. To our knowledge, nowhere in the world has such a high incidence of allergic rhinitis due to a single pollen ever been reported.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)55-62
Number of pages8
JournalClinical & Experimental Allergy
Volume21
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1991

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