POLLINOSIS DUE TO AUSTRALIAN PINE (CASUARINA) - AN AEROBIOLOGIC AND CLINICAL-STUDY IN SOUTHERN SPAIN

An aerobiologic and clinical survey was conducted in Malaga, southern Spain, in order to determine fluctuations of Australian pine (Casuarin a) pollen in the atmosphere of the city, and the prevalence of sensiti vity in a nonatopic population. The aerobiologic survey, using a Burka rd spore trap, was conducted from January 1991 to December 1994, and s ensitization was ascertained by the skin prick test. The pollen season is relatively short and the pollen dispersion period occurs during Oc tober and November, mainly during the last 3 weeks of October. Diurnal patterns showed that the highest concentrations of pollen occur betwe en 12 a.m. and 2 p.m., the most influential variables in its dispersio n being temperature, sunshine, and rainfall. The prevalence of sensiti zation to Casuarina pollen was determined by skin prick test (SPT) in a nonatopic population of 210 patients with a previous history of autu mn rhinitis, asthma, or rhinitis asthma. Six subjects showed a positiv e reaction to the pollen extracts, and the presence of specific IgE wa s demonstrated by the conventional radioallergosorbent test (RAST grea ter than or equal to 2) in five of these patients with positive SPT.