[Basophil degranulation test in suspected mould allergy].

Mould allergy is often linked with a pattern of signs and symptoms of the upper airways, especially of the nose. Since exact aetiopathological correlations are hard to determine by anamnesis only, further allergy diagnosis is very important. This often yields marked differences between intracutaneous and nasal provocation tests. The human basophil degranulation test (HBDT) now offers a further method of in-vitro diagnosis. This test can explore the condition of the basophils, which are of great importance for the allergic reaction besides the mast cells, and the ability of these cells to degranulate in the presence of a corresponding allergen. We investigated the correlations between the results of HBDT, intracutaneous skin test and nasal provocation test. 30 patients with perennial rhinitis suspected of being caused by moulds were tested using 4 mould mixtures. We found many more positive results with the nasal test and HBDT than with the skin test. The corrected contingency coefficient after Pearson showed a stronger correlation of HBDT to the incracutaneous skin test and to the nasal provocation test than between the two in-vivo methods. This is thought to be due to a wider sensitivity spectrum of the degranulation test which can possibly also measure other allergy reactions than type I after Commbs and Gell. We consider HBDT to be a valuable additional tool in allergy diagnosis. We should welcome a wider range of different allergenic test slides and a standardisation of allergenic extracts.