Investigation on atmospheric pollen in a plain zone of Romania.

In May-August 1982 and April-August 1983 quantitative and qualitative studies on the atmospheric pollen were carried out in the town of C. using Durham's method. The number of total atmospheric pollen granules was found to exceed 1,200/sq. cm in May and 1,100/sq. cm in June. The pollen of trees (Corylus, Quercus, etc.) and the pollen of poaceous plants, the main allergogenic pollen, were found to predominate in the first part of the period and the pollen of poaceous plants (Gramineae) in the rest of the pollination season. The authors consider that the pollen of Compositae can have a certain allergogenic importance in August.

Frequency of certain allergens in allergic bronchial asthma.

The frequency of some allergens involved in allergic bronchial asthma was studied in a group of 1177 patients who came for medical investigations to the Department of Allergy of the "N. Gh. Lupu" Institute of Internal Medicine--Bucharest between January 1980 and January 1982. The group presented a slight predominance of the female sex and the age group most affected was that of young adults. Of the allergens responsible for the onset bronchial asthma attacks the most frequent in the patients studied were: house dust (56%), moulds (53%), pollens (42%) and Dermatophagoides pteronissinus (28.3%). Of the pollens the most often involved was that of grasses. Almost a quarter of the patients started an attack of bronchospasm and presented positive reaction to certain drugs (24.39%) of which the most frequently involved was aspirin (17.4%), pyramidon (15.4%), biseptol, antibiotics (the latter being often used exagerately as self medication in the attacks of allergy mistaken for "colds"). The most frequent association of allergens were moulds--Dermatophagoides pt. (21%) and moulds--Dermatophagoides pt.--house dust (19%).

The frequency of allergens implicated in bronchial asthma in different areas of Romania.

The study carried out on 582 asthma patients and 164 healthy controls, ranging in age from 5 to 60 years, dwelling in four different towns ( Sibiu , Medias, Baia Mare, Sighetul Marma tiei ) showed that the most frequently involved antigen in allergic bronchial asthma was house dust (50.3 to 86%), followed by Dermatophagoides pteronissinus and atmospheric fungi, and the most frequently encountered associations were likewise between these allergens, hence the orientation towards a specific hyposensitizing therapy. In these localities with a rich gramineous vegetation there was a high per cent of sensitization to the polen of these plants. Sensitization to woollen hairs has been reported in a high percent in the region of Maramure s and is linked to its ethnical characteristics. In many cases the patients also exhibited hypersensitiveness to bacteria, associated with environmental allergens, the vicious circle realized by an allergic-infectious mechanism being known. The conclusions of the study on the etiology of bronchial asthma in these geographical areas will be used as a basis for the treatment and its orientation.

The relationship between air-borne fungal spores and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus in the house dust.

The prevalence of mould genera and their association with the house dust mite (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) were investigated in the homes of 192 asthmatic patients and 125 healthy people in a Romanian town with a relatively high degree of humidity. The dominant moulds which developed in the culture media exposed on the bedroom floors were Cladosporium, Penicillium and Aspergillus. Living Dermatophagoides pt. and their eggs were present mostly in the colonies of Cladosporium; in those of Penicillium the house dust mites were dead and disintegrated. It is concluded that allergy to Dermatophagoides pt. must not be connected to house dust as such but to the presence in the dust of certain mould spores.

Study of atmospheric fungi in a big cereal silo over a period of one year.

A quantitative and qualitative study of the atmospheric fungi in a big silo was carried out over a period of one year (April 1973--April 1974). About 6 to 12 Petri dishes with Czapek medium were exposed for 5 minutes every month at different floors of the silo. The study showed:--a very high number of fungi colonies, reaching as many as 903 in March 1974 (a total of 60 min exposure); the dominant fungus was penicillium which was, however, overpassed in certain months by aspergillus (flavus and fumigatus) which in May 1973 reached about twice the incidence of penicillium. Cladosporium-hormodendron, the dominant fungus in our country, ranked third on the list, about the same as rhizopus nigricans and much before alternaria (less than 30 colonies per 60 min Aspergillus niger, actinomicetes, yeasts, etc. were found in an even lesser amount. It is assumed that the dominant fungi may play a part in the etiopathogeny of the bronchial asthma of workers in such silos but investigations should be furthered before reaching a final conclusion.