IMMEDIATE AND DELAYED CONTACT HYPERSENSITIVITY TO VERBENA PLANTS

Plants from the Verbenaceae family may cause contact dermatitis of unk nown nature. This report describes 2 cases of allergic reactions to th e Verbena species. A teenage boy developed an anaphylactic allergic re sponse following contact with the leaves of Verbena hybrida. Character ization of the patient's specific IgE response to Verbena hybrida, usi ng Western blots and autoradiography, identified the specific 62000 Da lton allergen present in the verbena leaves to which the patient react ed. This is the first report of an IgE-mediated immediate contact hype rsensitivity reaction to Verbena hybrida, a common perennial in South African gardens. The other case was a 23-year-old female gardener who developed immediate and delayed-type contact dermatitis from Verbena e legans 'Cleopatra' produced in a Danish nursery. Prick tests to plant material were considered positive and of an allergic nature. (C) Munks gaard, 1995.