TY - JOUR
T1 - Use of standardized and conventional allergen extracts in prick skin testing
AU - Lavins, B. J.
AU - Dolen, William K.
AU - Nelson, Harold S.
AU - Weber, Richard W.
N1 - Funding Information:
From the Allergy-Immunology Service, Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Aurora, Colo. The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private views of the authors and are not to be construed as official or as re-flecting the views of the Department of Defense. The protocol under which this study was conducted was approved by the Clinical Research and Human Use Committee of Fitzsimons Army Medical Center. Received for publication April 25, 1991. Revised Oct. 14, 1991. Accepted for publication Oct. 24, 1991. Reprint requests: Richard W. Weber, MD, COL, MC, Allergy-Immunology Service (ATIN: HSHG-MDA), Fitzsimons Army Medical Center, Aurora, CO 80045-5001. Corresponding author: William K. Dolen, MD, Allergy Respiratory Institute of Colorado, 5800 E. Evans Ave., Denver, CO 80222. l/l/34779
PY - 1992/3
Y1 - 1992/3
N2 - This study examined whether commercially available conventional and standardized allergen extracts differ enough in potency to affect routine prick skin test results. Extracts of white oak, timothy, Bermuda, Russian thistle, short ragweed, sagebrush, Altemaria, and cat dander were examined in allergic patients and in nonatopic subjects with no personal or family history of asthma, rhinitis, or eczema. Conventional nonstandardized extracts (1:10 or 1:20 wt/vol) from two sources were compared with three concentrations (100,000, 10,000, and 1000 AU/ml) of a single standardized extract. Preparations were compared in the allergic patients with computerized planimetry, and in all patients and subjects with a conventional skin test grading system. Skin test area for the conventional extracts generally fell between the 10,000 and 100,000 AU/ml concentrations of the standardized extract. Skin test reactivity to at least one allergen extract occurred in 31% of the nonatopic subjects; there was no difference between the number of 3+ and 4+ reactions for conventional and standardized extracts. Results indicate that standardized and conventional extracts are frequently similar, but are not directly interchangeable.
AB - This study examined whether commercially available conventional and standardized allergen extracts differ enough in potency to affect routine prick skin test results. Extracts of white oak, timothy, Bermuda, Russian thistle, short ragweed, sagebrush, Altemaria, and cat dander were examined in allergic patients and in nonatopic subjects with no personal or family history of asthma, rhinitis, or eczema. Conventional nonstandardized extracts (1:10 or 1:20 wt/vol) from two sources were compared with three concentrations (100,000, 10,000, and 1000 AU/ml) of a single standardized extract. Preparations were compared in the allergic patients with computerized planimetry, and in all patients and subjects with a conventional skin test grading system. Skin test area for the conventional extracts generally fell between the 10,000 and 100,000 AU/ml concentrations of the standardized extract. Skin test reactivity to at least one allergen extract occurred in 31% of the nonatopic subjects; there was no difference between the number of 3+ and 4+ reactions for conventional and standardized extracts. Results indicate that standardized and conventional extracts are frequently similar, but are not directly interchangeable.
KW - Allergen extracts
KW - atopy
KW - skin testing
KW - standardization
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U2 - 10.1016/0091-6749(92)90371-8
DO - 10.1016/0091-6749(92)90371-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 1545087
AN - SCOPUS:0026578959
SN - 0091-6749
VL - 89
SP - 658
EP - 666
JO - The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
JF - The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
IS - 3
ER -