Ramie (Boehmeria nivea) pollen-induced bronchial asthma and allergenic cross-reactivity of ramie and Parietaria.
Ramie (Boehmeria nivea), a plant of the Urticaceae family, is widely distributed in the Nagasaki area, and has been established to be a cause of asthma. The rate of positive reactions to ramie in intradermal tests was 11.7% among adult asthmatic patients in the Nagasaki area. In this study, 10 patients were positive in provocation tests using ramie pollen. Ramie pollen-specific IgE antibodies were measured by ELISA, with the positive provocation test group showing higher O.D. values than the positive intradermal test group (p < 0.05). Ramie is of the same family as Parietaria, an important allergen in Europe. The cross-reactivity of ramie and Parietaria was examined by an ELISA inhibition test using P. officinalis and P. judaica (Pj10), but no cross-reactivity was found, suggesting that ramie may be a new independent allergen. As ramie is widely distributed throughout Japan and South-east Asia, further study is needed to determine whether it is an important allergen of the Urticaceae family in this region, as is Parietaria in Europe, and Urtica in America.
Miura
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Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens; D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology*; D001985:Bronchial Provocation Tests; D002648:Child; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*
D000485:Allergens