Artemisia and Ambrosia Hypersensitivity Cosensitization or Corecognltlon? A Study Using Recombinant Weed Pollen Allergens

摘要

Various clinical and serological studies showed that sensitization to ragweed and mugwort pollen are often associated and this poses relevant clinical problems in patients for whom specific immunotherapy is warranted. Therefore, the goal of this study was to determine whether the concomitant ragweed and mugwort pollen hypersensitivity is the result of cosensitization or of corecognition by using purified recombinant allergens. Sensitization to ragweed and mugwort pollen was assessed by skin prick test (SPT) in all patients reporting allergic symptoms in August and September. IgE reactivity of sera from 42 patients to ragweed and mugwort pollen extract as well as to several recombinant ragweed (Amb a 1, Amb a 5, Amb a 6, Amb a 8, Amb a 9, and Amb a 10) and mugwort (Art v 1, Art v 4, Art v 5, Art v 6, and 3 EF-hand calcium-binding protein) allergens was detected by dot-blot and ELISA. In vitro, 90% of ragweed allergic patients reacted with Amb a 1. Reactivity to other ragweed allergens ranged between 20 and 35%. 46% of the mugwort-sensitized patients recognized Art v 1, 25% reacted to Art v 4, Art v 5 and Art v 6, and 7% recognized the 3-EF hand calcium binding protein. Immunoblot inhibition experiments showed that preincubation with ragweed pollen extract did not significantly decrease IgE reactivity to mugwort allergens. Therefore we concluded that patients showing both ragweed and mugwort positive SPT and/or RAST are in fact cosensitized and may need specific immunotherapy with extracts of both mugwort and ragweed pollen.