Respiratory Castor Bean Dust Allergy in the South of France with Special Reference to Marseilles

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
This disease is often observed among persons in direct contact with castor beans or oil cakes (country people, dockers, fertilizer retailers, oil mill operators, etc.) and even among people living in Marseilles within close vicinity to the oil mills. Respiratory castor bean allergy (i.e. asthma, allergic rhinitis or more generally their associated symptoms) is sometimes observed as an isolated phenomenon, but in most cases it is combined with house dust, mould, flaxseed or cottonseed allergy. Scratch tests were always strongly positive (+++ or ++++) and sometimes caused severe systemic reactions. Pausnitz-Kustner reaction had in some cases been practised with positive results while castor-allergen aerosols never failed to produce experimental fits of asthma. Castor pollen tests were positive in only 1 case. General specific hypo-sensitization which has been attempted should at the present moment be discarded on account of its dangers and technical insecurity. [long dash]Auth. summ.