title: Allergenicity of Gramineae bee-collected pollen is proportional to its mass but is highly variable and depends on the members of the Gramineae family.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gramineae bee-collected pollen is identified as being at the origin of allergic accidents but the biological potency of Gramineae bee-collected pollen is not well known. Cereal grasses (e.g., Zea) and European wild forage grasses (FG) are contained in bee-collected pollen.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this experiment, Zea-mass and FG-mass were identified in bee pollen mass and the proportion of Zea and of FG was calculated using the bee pollen melissopalynology spectrum. Skin reactivity to Zea and to FG were assessed by measuring wheal diameters (W) from skin prick tests using three serial dilutions of bee-collected pollen on 10 allergic patients to Gramineae, in order to calculate the relationship between Zea mass (Masszea) or FG mass (MassFG) in bee pollen and skin reactivity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The linear function Log10(WFG)=0.24(Log10(MassFG))+0.33 (R=0.99) was established using a bee pollen sample with 0.168mg of FG pollen per mg. The linear function Log10(Wzea)=0.23(Log10(Masszea))+0.14 (R=0.99) was established using a bee pollen sample with 0.983mg of Zea pollen per mg. Gramineae allergens seem to be little altered by bee secretions. Gramineae bee pollen retains its allergenic capacity but it depends on the members of the Gramineae family.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge this is the first time it has been shown that skin reactivity to Gramineae is proportional to the absolute Gramineae mass contained in the bee-collected pollen and that it depends on the members of the Gramineae family.
authors: Centre Hospitalier Marie-José Treffot, Avenue du Maréchal Juin - BP 50082, 83407 Hyeres Cedex, France. Electronic address: allergologue@limperialsante.net.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Nonotte-Varly
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology; D001516:Bees / Q000276:immunology*; D003233:Conjunctivitis, Allergic / Q000276:immunology; D002523:Edible Grain / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000276:immunology; D012882:Skin Tests; D055815:Young Adult; D003313:Zea mays / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens
keywords: Allergenicity; Bee-collected pollen; Biological potency; Forage grasses; Gramineae pollen; Melissopalynology; Zea