ANACARDIUM-OCCIDENTALE (CASHEW) POLLEN ALLERGY IN PATIENTS WITH ALLERGIC BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA

Background: The cashew tree grows in abundance in the hills and plains of Goa, India. Because of the financial yield, more and more trees ar e being planted each year. The cashew tree powers once a year between January and March, but pollination is mostly entomophilous. Objective: For the first time, a study was conducted to establish the possible t ale of the cashew pollen in triggering allergic asthma. Methods: A sto ck solution of pollen extract was prepared with the standard weight/vo lume method for intradermal skin rests and a bronchial provocation tes ts (BPTs). The protein content of the antigen, estimated with the use of Folin phenol reagent and a spectrophotometer, was 28.72 mg/ml. Ten healthy volunteers and 65 subjects with allergic asthma, as documented by previous positive skirt test reactions to various pollens, were st udied. Results: Of the 65 patients, 26 (40%) had positive skin test re actions in various grades. BPTs were performed in 22 of the 26 patient s after their baseline peak expiratory flow volume was assessed. Twent y (90.9%) patients had a positive BPT result, and the majority of pati ents had grade III and grade IV reactions. None of the control subject s (n = 10) had positive responses to either intradermal tests or the B PT. Serum IgE levels, estimated by ELISA, were high in patients with p ositive skin rest responses and showed a linear correlation with cutan eous sensitivity. Control subjects showed normal levels of IgE (39.0 /- 7.87 IU/ml). Conclusions: This study provided us with knowledge of an additional pollen, Anacardium occidentale, which could trigger an a sthmatic response in allergic individuals.