Canary grass
Summary
Phalaris arundinacea (canary grass) is a widely distributed perennial wetland reed with highly-mobile pollen that can induce hypersensitive respiratory and cutaneous reactions in sensitized individuals.
Route Of Exposure
Main
Large quantities of highly mobile seed are produced in the first year of life, and canary grass also spreads vegetatively via vigorous and dense rhizome growth. Direct exposure of skin to grass has been reported to elicit hypersensitivity reactions including itchy urticaria and angioedema.
Clinical Relevance
A retrospective cross-sectional study of 894 patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis in Argentina assessed skin prick tests (SPTs) to selected pollen species belonging to three subfamilies of the Poaceae family, which between them account for 95% of allergy-relevant grass species. In this study, patients were most frequently sensitized to extracts from the Pooideae subfamily (86.8%; CI 84.4%–88.9%), and P. arundinacea (subfamily Pooideae) presented the highest frequency of sensitization of all species tested overall (62.2%; CI 59.0%–65.3%).
Ramon et al. (2017) described a 4-year old male child who developed acute urticaria and mild neurologic/respiratory symptoms after exposure to grasses including P. arundinacea. On two occasions, the child laid down on grass and within several minutes experienced generalized itching, angioedema, erythema and respiratory symptoms which resolved following treatment with glucocorticoids and/or antihistamines. Notably, SPTs for this child were negative for a broad range of foods and airborne allergens but significantly positive for three grasses including P. arundinacea.
Luis et al. (2017) described two case reports of patients with a personal history of seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma to pollen, who developed perennial symptoms after keeping parakeet birds at home. SPTs in both patients were positive to a range of seed and grass substances including canary grass, and the authors concluded that asthma and rhinoconjunctivitis after inhalation of bird food were rare but should be considered as a potential cause of respiratory allergy in bird-keepers.
Cross-Reactivity
Variable degrees of cross-reactivity may occur between grass pollen species sharing Group 1 and/or Group 5 grass allergens. Radioallergosorbent testing (RAST) of sera from subjects sensitized to inhaled wheat or flour indicated that there was significant reaction with seed extracts of 12 different cereals, including canary grass.
Carbohydrate-reactive IgE antibodies attributed to grass pollen sensitization have been found to cross-react with glycan structures from other allergen sources, particularly vegetable foods. Extensive cross-reactivity is also possible between profilins, a family of Group 12 allergen proteins which are highly conserved throughout the plant kingdom and present in all tissues.
References
- CABI. Phalaris arundinacea (reed canary grass) Wallingford, UK: CAB International 2021 [cited 2021 5.11.21]. Available from: https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/55423.
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