Quirce S, Cuevas M, Olaguibel J M, Tabar A I
Department of Allergy, Hospital Virgen del Camino, Pamplona, Spain.
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1994 Jan;93(1 Pt 1):44-52. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(94)90231-3.
Carmine is a natural red dye widely used as a food coloring agent and for cosmetic manufacture. It is extracted from the dried females of the insect Dactylopius coccus var. Costa (cochineal). Although it has been reported that inhalation of carmine may give rise to occupational asthma and extrinsic allergic alveolitis, there is little evidence of its immunogenic capacity. We studied nine current employees at a factory making natural dyes and one former employee who had left this plant after occupational asthma developed. A current employee had work-related symptoms of rhinitis and asthma that were confirmed by bronchial provocation tests, and another worker had rhinitis. Immunologic sensitization to carmine and cochineal was evaluated by means of skin testing and determination of serum-specific IgE and IgG subclass antibodies by RAST and ELISA, respectively. The specificity of the RAST assay was investigated by RAST inhibition with different fractions of carmine. The three workers with respiratory symptoms had positive skin prick test reactions to both carmine and cochineal. An immediate response to the bronchial provocation test with carmine and cochineal was observed in the current employee with asthma. Specific IgE antibodies against carmine and cochineal were found only in this worker. RAST inhibition studies indicated that the main allergen had a molecular weight between 10 and 30 kd. Specific IgG antibodies against carmine and cochineal, mainly the subclasses IgG1, IgG3, and IgG4, were found in the 10 subjects surveyed. These findings suggest that carmine may induce immunologic responses, most likely IgE mediated in workers with symptoms of occupational asthma.
胭脂红是一种天然红色染料，广泛用作食品着色剂和用于化妆品制造。它是从昆虫胭脂虫（Dactylopius coccus var. Costa）的干燥雌虫中提取的。尽管有报道称吸入胭脂红可能会引发职业性哮喘和外源性过敏性肺泡炎，但几乎没有证据表明其具有免疫原性。我们研究了一家生产天然染料工厂的9名在职员工和1名在患职业性哮喘后离开该厂的前员工。一名在职员工有与工作相关的鼻炎和哮喘症状，经支气管激发试验证实，另一名工人患有鼻炎。通过皮肤试验以及分别用放射性变应原吸附试验（RAST）和酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）测定血清特异性IgE和IgG亚类抗体，评估对胭脂红和胭脂虫的免疫致敏情况。用不同组分的胭脂红进行RAST抑制试验，研究RAST测定的特异性。三名有呼吸道症状的工人对胭脂红和胭脂虫的皮肤点刺试验反应均为阳性。在患有哮喘的在职员工中观察到对用胭脂红和胭脂虫进行的支气管激发试验有即刻反应。仅在这名工人中发现了针对胭脂红和胭脂虫的特异性IgE抗体。RAST抑制研究表明，主要变应原的分子量在10至30kd之间。在接受调查的10名受试者中发现了针对胭脂红和胭脂虫的特异性IgG抗体，主要是IgG1、IgG3和IgG4亚类。这些发现表明，胭脂红可能会诱导免疫反应，在有职业性哮喘症状的工人中最有可能是由IgE介导的。
