Anaphylactoid reaction from amifostine.
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Amifostine↗
Biomedical subjects
Hans de Groot
Publications and source records attributed to Hans de Groot.
Honeybee interference as a novel aid to reduce pollen exposure and nasal symptoms among greenhouse workers allergic to sweet bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) pollen.
BACKGROUND: In 1999, an extensive study among bell pepper growers showed a prevalence of 53.8% work-related symptoms and 35.4% sensitisation to bell pepper pollen. Experiments with bees to remove pollen from bell pepper flowers have been done for a few years. OBJECTIVES: It was the aim of this study to investigate whether bees can reduce the pollen exposure in bell pepper greenhouses and whether this reduction results in a decrease in allergic complaints in the greenhouse workers. METHODS: Eighteen greenhouses were selected for the study. In each greenhouse, pollen exposure was estimated. In 6 and 3 of the greenhouses, high, respectively low, numbers of honeybees were placed throughout the pollen season of the sweet bell pepper plant. Nine greenhouses without honeybees were used as control. At baseline, as well as after 4 and 8 months, nasal symptoms assessed with a visual analogue score and lung function parameters were used as outcome measure. RESULTS: Forty-four of the 133 employees invited reported work-related symptoms. High numbers of bees reduced the pollen amount in a dose-dependent way to 18% of the baseline exposure. A significant trend relationship between the visual analogue scale in nasal symptoms and the number of colonies of bees was seen. CONCLUSIONS: The interference of bees in bell pepper greenhouses significantly reduces the pollen amount. This reduction is associated with less work-related rhinitis symptoms in allergic greenhouse workers. This intervention study supports the hypothesis that allergic work-related complaints of greenhouse workers, sensitised to bell pepper pollen, are caused by occupational exposure to this pollen in the greenhouse.
Adult↗
Impact of occupational and inhalant allergy on rhinitis-specific quality of life in employees of bell pepper greenhouses in the Netherlands.
BACKGROUND: Rhinitis symptoms among bell pepper greenhouse employees can be caused by an allergy to occupational allergens, such as bell pepper pollen and predatory mites, and common inhalant allergens. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effect of sensitization to these allergens on rhinitis-specific quality of life (QoL) during and outside the flowering period and to evaluate whether the QoL of sensitized employees is comparable with that of chrysanthemum greenhouse employees with rhinitis and an average population sample with perennial rhinitis. METHODS: We invited 233 employees with rhinitis symptoms to complete 2 rhinitis QoL questionnaires and to undergo skin prick testing with common inhalant allergens and occupational allergen extracts. Multiple regression analysis was used to estimate the impact of sensitization to the various allergens on QoL. RESULTS: Sensitization to bell pepper pollen had a significant negative effect on all the domain and mean QoL scores. The other allergens had no effect on QoL. A significant decrease in all the rhinitis scores was found outside the flowering period. There were no relevant differences in the mean scores of the different domains for both occupational groups. Greenhouse employees scored higher on limitations in activities and much lower on emotional, sleeping, and practical problems compared with individuals with perennial rhinitis. CONCLUSIONS: Bell pepper greenhouse employees are impaired in QoL because of their sensitization to bell pepper pollen, suggesting that bell pepper pollen is the most important occupational allergen in greenhouse workers with allergic symptoms. A common allergy does not have more impact on a person's day-to-day life than an occupational allergy; however, there is a clear difference in the way in which an occupational group is hampered compared with a nonoccupational group.
Adolescent↗
Allergy to bumblebees.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Field stings by bumblebees are uncommon because of the habitat and nonaggressiveness of these insects. More stings have been reported in the Netherlands because of the increasing use of bumblebees in flowering industries such as tomato growing. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent literature concerning bumblebee anaphylaxis and describe our own experience with immunotherapy in an occupational group of bumblebee-venom-allergic workers. RECENT FINDINGS: Two distinct categories of patients are sensitized to bumblebee venom. First are patients with IgE highly cross-reactive with honeybee venom allergens. Venom immunotherapy with honeybee venom will be adequate in these nonprofessionally exposed bumblebee-allergic patients. These patients react to bumblebee venom as a result of a primary earlier exposure and sensitization to honeybee venom. Secondly, with heavily exposed greenhouse workers or bumblebee workers, frequently stung only by bumblebees, it is recommended to use immunotherapy with purified bumblebee venom, due to the low or absent degree of cross-reactivity with honeybee venom. Otherwise, the best preventive therapy is to avoid further exposure, which means changing profession. SUMMARY: Immunotherapy with purified bumblebee venom is as well tolerated and effective as immunotherapy with other Hymenoptera venoms.
Anaphylaxis↗
Immunoblot and radioallergosorbent test inhibition studies of allergenic cross-reactivity of the predatory mite Amblyseius cucumeris with the house dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus.
BACKGROUND: In 1999, an extensive study among bell pepper growers showed that a predatory mite, Amblyseius cucumeris, is a potentially relevant source of occupational allergens because 23% of the population had positive skin prick test reactions. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether cross-reactivity between A. cucumeris and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is responsible for the cosensitization to both mite species found in 58.7% of A. cucumeris-sensitized greenhouse workers. METHODS: Fifteen serum samples from greenhouse workers with work-related inhalant allergy and a positive radioallergosorbent test (RAST) reaction to A. cucumeris or D. pteronyssinus were selected for immunoblot analysis using extracts of both mites. A subselection (n = 5) was used for RAST and immunoblot inhibition to investigate potential cross-reactivity. RESULTS: On immunoblot, 2 distinct patterns were observed: one pattern showed common protein bands in A. cucumeris and D. pteronyssinus blots suggestive of cross-reactivity between A. cucumeris and D. pteronyssinus and the other pattern showed no shared protein bands. Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus RAST inhibition with A. cucumeris extract was low in 4 serum samples (<25% inhibition) and nearly absent in 1 serum sample; A. cucumeris RAST inhibition with D. pteronyssinus extract was high in 1 serum sample (75% inhibition), low in 2 serum samples (35% and <15% inhibition), and absent in 2 serum samples. These results were confirmed by immunoblot inhibition experiments. CONCLUSIONS: Amblyseius cucumeris, a new occupational allergen, has species-specific antigens and common antigens that are cross-reactive with the house dust mite D. pteronyssinus.
Adult↗