Occupational Medicine 1989;39:144-146
© 1989 Society of Occupational Medicine
research-article |
Mean Wheal Diameter in Skin Tests for Castor Bean Extracts in Castor Bean Allergic Workers of Eastern Sudan
Occupational Health Unit, Gezira University Wad Medani, Sudan
The mean wheal diameter by prick test for castor bean (Ricinus communis, Euphorbiaceae) extracts was measured in a castor bean allergic poulation. Three types of castor bean extracts namely Cimmaron, Pacific and dust (a mixture of Cimmaron, Pacific and hull), were applied at 1/10 000 dilutions with a control solution. The subjects comprised 318 male workers who were divided into four groups with a fifth control group of 63 male workers. The solutions were tested on three subject groups with Cimmaron in the first, Pacific in the second, and dust in the third. All three extracts were applied in the fourth and the control groups.
The results have shown that the Cimmaron type gives a larger wheal diameter than Pacific or dust at the same concentration. There were statistically significant differences between the wheal diameters caused by different extracts in the same subjects. The possibility of producing a type of seed containing less amount of allergen could be cosidered and experimented on by the agricultural research bodies.
Requests for reprints should be addressed to: Dr Z. I. Fakhri, Occupational Health Unit, Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Gezira University, P.O. Box 20, Wad Medani, Sudan