title: Aniline--a 'historical' contact allergen? Current data from the IVDK and review of the literature.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether aniline should be regarded as potential cause of contact allergy (CA).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of clinical data collected in a CA surveillance network (IVDK, www.ivdk.org) between 01/1992 and 06/2004 and review of pertinent literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the above period, 25 of the 1119 patients patch tested with aniline had positive (allergic) reactions; in 24 of these 25 patients, CA to p-phenylenediamine, p-aminoazobenzene or (in one case) another para-amino compound was additionally diagnosed. Exposure to aniline could not be ascertained in any of the cases, based on the available data.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Previous clinical results, which have been summarized and tabulated, are partly difficult to evaluate, as they may lack detail, or test concentrations are higher than those currently recommended, possibly yielding false-positive reactions. In none of the studies had previous exposures to aniline been unequivocally identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on clinical data it is unlikely that aniline is an independent sensitizer of current importance. However, it may elicit allergic reactions in subjects pre-sensitized to para-substituted amino compounds. In summary, supported by recent experimental evidence employing the local lymph node assay as a validated animal test system, it appears probable that aniline is a weak allergen.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg Erlangen, Germany. wolfgang.uter@rzmail.uni-erlangen.de
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Uter
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stropp
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schnuch
authors.forename: Holger
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lessmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000814:Aniline Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*; D002617:Chemical Industry; D003877:Dermatitis, Contact / Q000209:etiology*; D009783:Dermatitis, Occupational / Q000209:etiology*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; C023650:aniline