Epicutaneous patch testing is the gold standard method for the diagnosis of allergic contact dermatitis. Despite this knowledge, many clinical dermatologists do not offer patch testing in their offices or offer testing with only a limited number of allergens. Introduced in 1995, the Thin-Layer Rapid Use Epicutaneous Test originally contained 23 allergens and one control. In 2007, five additiona...

Animal allergens are common causes of both acute and chronic allergic disease. The most important animal allergens are derived from mammals, principally cats, dogs, rats, mice, horses, and cows, which secrete or excrete allergens into the environment. Allergic sensitization may occur at home or in the workplace. Cat and dog allergens commonly cause allergies in the home and affect the general p...

BACKGROUND Avoidance behavior against positive allergens detected by using multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST)-immunoblot assay in patients with urticaria has been rarely reported. OBJECTIVE We aimed to assess the avoidance behavior of patients with urticaria against positive allergens detected with a MAST. METHODS One hundred and one urticaria patients who showed positivity to at le...

INTRODUCTION Atopy patch tests (APT) represent a relatively new diagnostic method for identifying the role of airborne allergens in atopic dermatitis flares. This study evaluates the role of airborne allergens in atopic dermatitis flares in a group of adult patients with atopic dermatitis. The primary goal was to detect the frequency of sensitization to these allergens in a group of patients wi...

Airborne allergens are the major cause of allergic rhinitis and asthma. Daily exposure comes from indoor sources, chiefly at home but occasionally at schools or offices. Seasonal exposure to outdoor allergens, pollens, and molds is another important source. Exposure to unusual substances at work causes occupational asthma, accounting for about 5% of asthma in adults. Indoor and outdoor air poll...

BACKGROUND Family members of laboratory animal workers are at risk of developing allergy to laboratory animals. Little is known about the spreading of laboratory animal allergens outside the animal facilities. OBJECTIVE To assess the presence of laboratory animal allergens in dust collected from mattresses of laboratory animal workers and unexposed controls. METHODS Mouse and rat urinary pr...

BACKGROUND Beech and oak pollen are potential allergen sources with a world-wide distribution. OBJECTIVE We aimed to characterize the allergen profile of beech and oak pollen and to study cross-reactivities with birch and grass pollen allergens. METHODS Sera from tree pollen-allergic patients with evidence for beech and oak pollen sensitization from Basel, Switzerland, (n=23) and sera from ...

Chronic inflammatory airway diseases including asthma are characterized by immune dysfunction to inhaled allergens. Our previous studies demonstrated that T cell priming to inhaled allergens requires LPS, which is ubiquitously present in household dust allergens. In this study, we evaluated the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the development of T cell priming and its polari...