title: Occupational asthma caused by Brazil ginseng dust.
abstract: The inhalation of different substances of plant origin can cause immediate and late onset asthma. The list of these agents responsible for such reactions is continuously increasing. We discuss a patient who developed symptoms of asthma after exposure to Pfaffia paniculata root powder used in the manufacturing of Brazil ginseng capsules. Airway hyperreactivity was confirmed by a positive bronchial challenge to methacholine. Sensitivity to this dust was confirmed by immediate skin test reactivity, a positive bronchial challenge (immediate response), and the presence of specific IgE detected by ELISA technique to an aqueous extract. The bronchial response was inhibited by sodium cromoglycate. Unexposed subjects did not exhibit reactivity to this ginseng extract with any of the tests referred to above. The same study performed with Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng) elicited negative results. This study is the first, to our knowledge, that links ginseng-root dust to occupational asthma.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Alergia e Inmunología Clínica, General Pardiñas, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Subiza
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Subiza
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Escribano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hinojosa
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jerez
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Subiza
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001249:Asthma / Q000139:chemically induced*; D001938:Brazil; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D004391:Dust / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000139:chemically induced; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis; D007723:Korea; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D005894:Panax; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational; D004391:Dust; D007073:Immunoglobulin E