Vol 43 # 2 June 2011 - Kma.org.kw

June 2011
KUWAIT MEDICAL JOURNAL 109
Original Article
Allergenicity to Allergens like Prosopis Juliflor and
Date Tree Pollens in Saudi Arabia
Harb Ha , Abbas H Alsaeed 2
1
National Center for Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
2
Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Kuwait Medical Journal 2011; 43 (2): 109-112
ABSTRACT
Objective: To determine the major causes of allergic reactions
and the level of sensitivity to local allergens among residents
of Saudi Arabia
Design: Retrospective data analysis
Setting: National Center for Allergy, Asthma and
Immunology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Subjects: A total of 110 patients who had allergies underwent
skin testing. Twelve allergens were used for this study
including the most commonly reported allergen Prosopis
juliflora (mesquite) pollen.
Intervention: Skin prick tests
Main Outcome Measures: Date tree pollens and prosopis
Results: Among the causes of allergies found in the 110
patients who were tested, 75.5% were found to be positive to
prosopis, 59% to date tree pollens and 54.5% reacted to both.
Positive reactions to CAT epithelium (46.4%), Bermuda
grass (66.4%), Russian Thistle (71%) and Atriplex should
also be considered as major factors causing senstitization in
the region as this can also cause cross-reactivity among tree
pollens and not necessarily to prosopis pollen.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that prosopis pollen is
a sensitizing factor to allergic patients in Saudi Arabia.
The significance of the human allergens of mesquite and
their possible cross-reactivities with other tree pollens,
merit further research (a) to draw conclusions of prosopishypersensitivity
in many multiple sensitive patients and (b)
to consider Prosopis as one of the major allergens in Saudi
Arabia.
KEY WORDS: allergy, Phoenix dactylifera, Prosopis juliflora
INTRODUCTION
It has been observed that there is an increasing
occurrence of allergic diseases in Saudi Arabia in
the last few years [1] . Among those reported factors,
increase in vegetation and introduction of new plants
were most significant, the most common of which is
Prosopis juliflora. There have been reports from a few
countries including the Arabian States [2-4] , Kuwait [5] ,
India [6-8] and South Africa [9] of hypersensitivity to
Prosopis Juliflora pollen antigen. Prosopis is a genus of
flowering plants belonging to the pea family, Fabaceae.
It contains around 45 species of spiny trees and shrubs
found in subtropical and tropical regions of the
Americas, Africa, Western Asia, and South Asia. They
often flourish in excessively dry soil and are resistant to
drought, on occasion developing extremely deep root
systems. Several species of prosopis were introduced
as roadside decoration in Saudi Arabia.
Among the reported species of prosopis, nine are
known to be present in Saudi Arabia which includes
Prosopis juliflora, also known as mesquite. Large
amounts of pollen debris from Prosopis juliflora that
are deposited below the trees as it blooms four times
a year in the region, can be easily distributed through
vehicular, human and animal movements. As indicated
in published data from different countries, prosopis
pollen which are pollinated partly through insects can
become airborne [3, 5, 7] .
Another species that was used in this study is
Phoenix dactylifera commonly known as the date palm,
which belongs to the genus Phoenix and is extensively
cultivated for its edible sweet fruit. Dates are
naturally wind pollinated but in both traditional oasis
horticulture and in the modern commercial orchards
they are entirely pollinated manually [10] .
Because airborne pollen is carried for long distances,
it does little good to rid an area of an offending plant--
the pollen can drift in from many miles away and many
never reach their targets. Instead, they enter human
noses and throats, which can result in sensitization
of susceptible people and subsequently bring about
symptoms of respiratory allergic diseases. Allergies to
pollens can also develop sensitivities to other irritants
like dust and mould.
Address correspondence to:
Dr. Abbas H. Alsaeed, Associate Professor in Hematology, King Saud University, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, PO Box 341335
Riyadh 11333, Saudi Arabia. Tel: +966 555459161, Fax:+96614684995, E-mail : abbasalsaeed@yahoo.com