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Notes: Summary In a subgroup of patients with atopic eczema (AE), eczematous skin lesions can he induced by epicutaneous testing with aeroallergens (the atopy patch test: APT). An increased frequency of positive APT has been found in AK patients showing a predictive lesional pattern affecting air-exposed skin areas. This study investigates the dose-response ofthe APT in two dilTerent patient groups with AE. Petrolatum preparations of house dust mite, cat dander and grass pollen allergens in four concentrations (500–10,000) protein nitrogen imits) were tested epicutaneously in 57 patients with AE. who were prospectively divided in two groups according to whether their AE pattern was with (group I) or without (group II) a predictive distribution. Sixty-nine per cent of patients in group I. and 39% in group II. had positive APT reactions (P = 0.02). The reactions in group I were elicitable with lower allergen concentrations (P = 0.03). A clinically recognizable subgroup of patients with AE showed increased cutaneous sensitivity to aeroallergens.

Notes: Within an environmental health study, dermatologic examination of 1273 pre-school-age children (5–7 years old) was carried out in selected areas of East (n= 287) and West (n= 987) Germany in spring 1991. On the basis of comparable genetic background, the influence of a different exposure to air pollutants on the manifestation of atopic diseases was investigated. Halle an der Saale (East Germany) and Duisburg (North/South) as well as Essen (West Germany) were chosen as polluted study areas, whereas the countryside town of Borken (West Germany) served as a control region. Outdoor pollution with particles and SO2 was significantly higher in Halle an der Saale. Of the total study group. 12.9% suffered from atopic eczema at the time of examination. The prevalence was highest in East Germany (17.5%; adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.39, confidence intervals [CI] 0.77–2.52, compared to Borken). The reported frequencies of hay fever and asthma in the total study population were 2% and 1.3%, respectively, without significant differences between study sites. Some 34.7% of the children showed at least one positive skin prick test reaction; significantly (P〈 0.001) higher sensitization rates were obtained in western regions (Essen, Duisburg-South) than in the control region (Borken) and East Germany. Multivariate analysis of the prevalence of atopic eczema showed associations with parental predisposition (OR 1.52, CI 1.03–2.25), sex (for boys, OR 0.63, CI 0.43–0.92), location (Duisburg-South vs Borken OR 0.52, CI 0.30–0.96). month of investigation (May vs April, and March vs February OR 0.55, CI 0.37–0.81), contact with rabbits (for girls, OR 2.90, CI 1.36–6.19), animal fur in bedrooms (2.17, 1.01–4.67), indoor use of gas without hood (1.68, 1.11–2.56), and distance of homes from a busy road (〈50 m 1.71, 1.07–2.73). Nonsignificant associations were observed for history of helminthic infections (OR 1.61, CI 0.98–2.64) and high parental education level (OR 1.83, CI 0.83–4.02). In East and West Germany, atopic eczema seems to follow a course different from that of respiratory allergic diseases and specific sensitization, a fact which underlines the need for a differentiated analysis.

Notes: Sera of 11 patients were used to characterize allergens in kiwi fruit, latex, avocado, and banana by SDS-PAGE/immunoblotting and to determine cross-reactions between these allergen extracts in EAST inhibition and immunoblot inhibition. By SDS-PAGE/immunoblotting. allergens with apparent molecular weights of 21, 38. 40. and 42 kDa were visualized in latex extract. In avocado extract. IgE-binding components of 27, 43, 52, 58, 65, 75, and 88 kDa were to be seen, whereas, in banana extract, a 40-kDa protein showed strong IgE binding. Furthermore, allergens of 52,58,88, and 94 kDa were detected in the extract of banana. Cross-reactions between these allergen extracts were determined by EAST inhibition. Immunoblot inhibition demonstrated that almost all IgE-reactive bands in nitrocellulose-blotted latex, avocado, and banana extracts and two components of 43 and 67 kDa in kiwi fruit shared common IgE epitopes.