Castor Bean Allergy as Cross-Reactive Hypersensitivity to the Spurges (Euphorbiaceae): Absence of Reaction to Chlorogenic Acid in Primary Allergy to Castor Beans

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Abstract
Allergy due to sensitization by the dust of Ricinus communis (castor bean) does not involve atopic reagins to chlorogenic acid or to green coffee. Reagins of primary allergy due to chlorogenic acid may, and no doubt will, react with the atopen wherever it may occur in seeds, molds, fruit or vegetables. Neither chlorogenic acid nor green coffee administration had any effect upon subsequent anaphylactic extravasation reactions to castor bean seed, or pollen antigens administered to monkeys passively sensitized by human sera reaginic to castor beans. 33 castor bean-allergic patients showed no skin reaction to chlorogenic acid. A skin reaction to the bull nettle, Cnidoscolus texanus. appeared in all of the castor bean-allergic patients studied. This was true of the reaginic sera also. Considering the demonstrated cross-reactivity to castor bean and the spurge, (posinsettia, leafy spurge, and now bull nettle) it appears justifiable to consider castor bean allergy as hypersensitivity to the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). Furthermore, evidence indicates that patients primarily allergic to castor beans do not react to chlorogenic acid.