Gold trichloride and gold sodium thiosulfate as markers of contact allergy to gold

Abstract
The usefulness of a trivalent gold salt, gold trichloride (GTC), was evaluated as a marker of contact allergy to gold. Patients patch test‐positive or patch test‐negative to gold sodium thiosulfate (GSTS), 13 subjects of each, were patch tested with dilution series of GTC and equimolar concentrations of GSTS. In order to avoid false‐positive and false‐negative test reactions, the salts were buffered and placed on polypropene chambers. Allergic reactions were registered in 9/13 gold‐allergic patients with GSTS and in 2/13 with GTC. The sum of positive reactions was 18 with GSTS and 5 with GTC. Irritant reactions were none with GSTS and 2 with GTC in the gold‐allergic patients. It is concluded that GTC can elicit positive patch test reactions in patients with gold allergy but to a lesser degree when compared with GSTS. Thus, GTC cannot be recommended in patch testing, and GSTS is still the test agent of choice.

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