Why are nasal and bronchial symptoms mostly perennial in patients with monosensitization to Olea europaea pollen allergens?

In the last few years interest in the clinical aspects of Olea europaea (O.e.) pollen allergy has increased.

An assessment of the role of intradermal skin testing in the diagnosis of clinically relevant allergy to timothy grass.

Background: Immediate skin testing is generally the preferred method for establishing the presence of allergy in clinical practice. There is no agreement, however, as to whether intradermal testing should be routinely performed if skin prick test results are negative.

Purpose: The study was done to address the value of intradermal skin testing in the diagnosis of clinically significant sensitivity to grass pollen in patients exhibiting negative skin prick test responses to timothy extract.

Biologic potency and immunoblotting studies of extracts of three cockroach species.

Background: Although cockroaches are responsible for severe allergic disease, cockroach extracts are not yet standardized by the ID50EAL method, nor have the allergens been completely characterized.

Objective: To determine biologic potency and immunoblotting patterns of whole-body extracts of three cockroach species: Periplaneta americana, Blattella germanica, and Blatta orientalis.

Method: Twenty-four subjects puncture test positive to mixed cockroach extract were puncture tested with the three extracts.

Standardization of allergenic extracts by basophil histamine release.

Background: Allergenic extracts are standardized by using the ID50EAL (Intradermal Dilution for 50 mm sum of Erythema Determines the Allergy Unit) skin test technique to assign allergy units to reference preparations. When new batches of extracts are manufactured, they are compared with the reference by RAST inhibition or other in vitro techniques. This study was designed to determine whether basophil histamine release might be an additional useful in vitro test for the standardization of allergenic extracts.