EUCALYPTUS CITRIODORA POLLEN: AN AEROBIOLOGICAL, CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL APPROACH
*Dola Boral
ABSTRACT
Background: The pollen of Eucalyptus citriodora tree has been known as one of the important pollinosis causing airborne bioparticles. To evaluate aerobiological contribution of E. citriodora pollen vis-à-vis clinical and immunological characterization of an important IgE- reactive allergenic component present in this pollen. Materials & Methods: The seasonal periodicities of airborne Eucalyptus pollen were recorded. The allergising potential of Eucalyptus pollen antigen was investigated by skin prick tests[1,2,3], IgE- enzyme linked immuno sorbant assay (ELISA) and IgE specific dot immunoblotting. Demographic characterization of some selected Eucalyptus sensitive patients was done. The total pollen extract was first fractionated and then the maximum IgE- reactive fraction was subjected to gel filtration. Out of the eluted four subfractions, the highly active protein component was isolated and was further studied by activity gel, sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Detection of glycoprotein component in the allergenic extract was also performed. Results: The occurrence of Eucalyptus pollen in air was seasonal with two peak periods in the month of October and March. Among 415 patients, skin test result showed 33.73% positive response. Some patients showed different types of respiratory problems. SDS-PAGE revealed the presence of allergenic components in the molecular weight range between 29-115 kDa. A fraction having remarkable IgE- reactivity was isolated as a 115 KD glycoprotein component. Conclusion: The aerobiological, clinical and immunological studies demonstrated that E. citriodora pollen is an important aeroallergen to cause respiratory disorders in the area of their occurrence.
Keywords: Aeroallergen, Eucalyptus citriodora pollen, Immunoglobulin E reactivity.
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