DETECTION OF PARIETARIA-JUDAICA AIRBORNE ALLERGENIC ACTIVITY - COMPARISON BETWEEN IMMUNOCHEMICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL METHODS INCLUDING CLINICAL-EVALUATION

Airborne pollen grains and small plant particles of respirable size ar e the main causes of rhinitis and asthma in pollinosis patients. Conse quently, it could be useful to quantify atmospheric variations in thes e biological aerosols and their allergenic activity as a basis for est ablishing correlations with the clinical symptoms in these allergic su bjects. Our study was conducted in Naples from May to August 1992 and from May to August 1993 and concentrated on Parietaria judaica (Par j) the most important hay fever-provoking plant in southern Italy. The a im of this study was to evaluate the day-to-day variation in counts of Par j. pollen, the day-to-day variation in allergenic activity specif ic for this plant, and to relate these two variables to symptom scores in patients with respiratory allergy to Par j. The airborne pollen gr ains were collected by a Hirst-like volumetric trap and examined throu gh an optical microscope, while the allergenic activity of particles t rapped on glass fibre filters in a high volume air-sampler was determi ned by immunochemical assay. The two devices were placed on the flat r oof of the 'A. Cardarelli' Hospital. The results of this preliminary s tudy suggest that both methods could have useful clinical relevance, s ince these two biological parameters were significantly correlated wit h the symptom scores of allergic patients. However, pollen count with morphological quantification of grains/m(3) of air is a more simple te chnique.