Olive pollen allergy among patients with pollinosis in Poland

Krzysztof Buczylko

Allergologic Laboratory of the Maxillo-Facial Sugery Department, Military School of Medicine, Lodz, Poland

Published in: R. Spiewak (Editor): "Pollens and Pollinosis: Current Problems". Institute of Agricultural Medicine, Lublin (Poland) 1995, pages 57-58.

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Po Polsku

The olive tree (Olea europea) is a species that is widely distributed in the Mediterranean area, and its pollen is regarded as a major cause of respiratory allergy. As was described several years ago, patients from central Europe may become sensitized to olive pollen due to cross-reaction between ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and olive pollen [1]. In Poland olive has generally not been considered to be an allergenic hazard at all.

Objective

The aim of the study was to perform skin prick test (SPT) with Olea europea (Allergopharma Reinbek) among patients with hay fever.

Material

Material consisted of 47 persons (22 females and 25 males) aged 20.3 years on the average, without any contact with olive pollens during their life. Diagnosis of grass pollinosis was based on clinical, laboratory and palynological data according to own rules [2].

Methods

SPT were done with an Allergopharma lancet, in the two stage procedure using non standard aeroallergen battery that included: olive, pine, ash, mugwort, rye, grasses, histamine and negative solution. The SPT results were determined planimetrically.

Results

It have been found 13/47 positive SPT against Olea europea extract (27.65%) suggesting olive allergy. Additionally, 3/47 persons (6.38%) have had a moderately positive SPT with Olea europea allergen, which means atopic status. In 1994/1995 year period no olive pollen grains were detected and a low concentration of ash pollen grains was palynologically observed.

Discussion

As many as 15.2% of atopics were shown to be skin test positive to olive pollen extracts in the Montpellier area [1], between 30% and 40% in the region of Bari [5], and over 60% in some areas of southern Spain such as Jaen and Cordoba [6]. In the present study, among grass pollinotic patients in Lodz there were 27.65% of such SPT positivity to olive pollen.

If the similarity among the allergens in the Oleaceae family is as close as suggested by Obispo et al. [4], one would expect the incidence of allergies produced by lilac, privet, ash, and forsythia to be high, which is actually under study in our laboratory. This is the first time that an association between grass and olive pollen allergy has been described in Poland.

Conclusions

Above data suggest that olive pollens skin reactivity concerns about 1/3 cases of grass pollinosis in Poland.

References

1. Bousquet J., Guerin B., Hewitt B., Lim S., Michel F.B. Allergy in the Mediterranean area III.: Cross reactivity among Oleaceae pollens. Clin Allergy 1985, 15, 493-448.
2. Buczy³ko K. Pollen monitoring in the choice of desensitizing vaccine composition. Allerg Immunol 27/7, 239.
3. Carreira J., Polo F. The allergens of Olea europea and Parietaria spp, and their relevance in the Mediterranean area. ACI News 1995, 7/3, 79-84.
4. Obispo T.M., Melero J.A., Carpizo J., Carreiro J., Lombardero M., The main allergen of Olea europea (Ole e I) is also present in other species of the Oleaceae family. Clin Exp Allergy 1993, 23, 311-316.
5. Macchoa L., Caidaffa M.F., D'Amato G., Tursi A. Allergenic significance of Oleaceae pollen. In: D'Amato G., Spieksma T.F., Bonini S. (Eds) Allergenic pollen and pollinosis in Europe. Blackwell Oxford 1991, 87-93.
6. Parados M., Argon R., Carranco M.I. La sensibilizacion al polen de Olea en la poblacion del area de Merida. Rev Esp Alergol Immunol Clin 1994, 9, 72.

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