Occupational asthma in a florist caused by the dried plant, baby's breath.

A 34-year-old gift shop owner with a history of virus-induced bronchospasm and seasonal allergic rhinitis developed daily asthma when he began working with dried plants. Extracts were made from these dried plants, including baby's breath. German statice, leather leaf fern, and eucalyptus. Intradermal skin tests with these extracts were positive for the dried plant, baby's breath (Gypsophilia panniculata). The patient's serum contained elevated levels of IgE antibody to baby's breath extract, his leukocytes released histamine after challenge in vitro with the baby's breath extract, and bronchial challenge with baby's breath extract produced greater than 20% fall in his FEV1 from baseline. He recovered fully after avoiding the plant. This is the first report of a case of IgE-mediated occupational asthma involving the dried plant, baby's breath.