SKIN PRICK TESTS AND IN-VITRO IMMUNOASSAYS NATIVE SPICES AND SPICE EXTRACTS

Background: Skin prick tests of native spices (commercial powdered spi ces) are common in patients with allergy to birch or mugwort pollen. C linical symptoms from spices are infrequent but occasionally severe. O bjective: To compare the skin prick test results with native spices an d spice extracts and to determine the clinical relevance of test mater ial. Methods: Skin prick tests with the native spices coriander, caraw ay, paprika, cayenne, mustard, and white pepper were made twice at 2-m onth to 2.9-year intervals in 49 patients. During the latter time, tes ts were also made with spice extracts and spice-specific serum IgE was measured. Results: The reproducibility of skin test results with nati ve spices was 67% to 100%. Spice extracts, except white pepper, elicit ed positive skin test reactions in half those with positive reactions to native spices. Higher specific IgE concentrations (greater than or equal to 3.5 PRU/mL) were seen in cases where the skin tests were posi tive to the corresponding spices with 5% extracts of >8 kD Mw. Three-f ourths of the patients with positive skin tests to native spices were positive to birch pollen and one-half to a vegetable. Mild clinical sy mptoms from spices were reported by one-third. Conclusions: Spice alle rgens partly crossreact with those of pollens and vegetables. A minori ty of spice allergens may give clinical symptoms. The >8-kD 5% extract s may be relevant skin prick test materials for identifying patients a t risk of developing severe symptoms from ingested spices.