White pine
Summary
Not to be confused with the Australian pine tree (Casuarina equisetifolia)
Clinical Relevance
IgE-mediated reactions
Pinus pollen can induce asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis.Pinus pollen allergy has been generally considered to be rare.
Although Pine pollen is released in large quantities, IgE-sensitisation to it has been found to occur in only 1.5%-3% of atopic patients in a northern Arizona private allergy practice, and in French studies.
This study reports that the incidence of positive skin testing to White pine in New England patients with spring seasonal allergic rhinitis was 6/61 (6%). Two of 4 patients challenged intranasally had a positive challenge.
A Spanish study suggests that Pine tree pollen is a significant aeroallergen and should be considered in investigations of pollen-allergic individuals. In this study, Pinus pollen (Pinus pinaster and Pinus radiata) was shown to be among the dominant pollens in an area of Spain. The majority of the patients were monosensitisated to Pinus pollen and suffered from seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis. The sensitising Pine pollen would in all instances depend on which species of Pine tree is present in the vicinity.
Other studies have shown that Pine tree pollen may be a significant aeroallergen. In a study of aeroallergen sensitisation rates in children of the military in Texas, of 345 children who were skin prick-tested to a 51-allergen panel, 6.4% were positive to Pine.
As extensive cross-reactivity exists between Pine tree (P. radiata) and White pine tree (P. strobes), the latter should be found to generate similar clinical patterns to those the former generates
Other reactions
Allergic contact dermatitis to White pine sawdust has been described. Contrary to the rarity of sensitisation to Pine pollen, workers processing Pine in sawmills showed a very high frequency of IgE sensitisation to the extract of Pine wood dust. This frequency was significantly greater than that of the sensitisation to Oak of workers processing Oak. Airborne allergic contact dermatitis from Pine dust has been documented.
Cross-Reactivity
An extensive cross-reactivity among the different individual species of the genus could be expected.
As extensive cross-reactivity exists between Pine tree (P. radiata) and White pine tree (P. strobes), the following cross-reactivity patterns should be considered applicable to White pine tree.
IgE antibody studies have demonstrated that pollen extracts from Olive, Birch, Mugwort, Pine, and Cypress contain proteins that share common epitopes recognizable by sera from Olive-allergic individuals. Enzyme immuno-assay inhibition studies have revealed that leached P. radiata pollen proteins could partially inhibit serum IgE binding to Rye grass-specific IgE. This provides preliminary evidence for allergen cross-reactivity between these 2 unrelated species.
Importantly, allergy to Pine nuts can occur with no symptoms of sensitization to Pine pollen. Immunoblot experiments have demonstrated the presence of IgE antibodies in serum against several components of Pine nuts and pollen, with the presence of some cross-reacting components. The authors of this study suggest that development of Pine pollinosis may require a longer period of exposure to allergens, and that given the cross-reactivity between Pine nut and Pine pollen extracts, co-sensitization to these 2 allergens could be possible.
References
- Bousquet J, Cour P, Guerin B, Michel FB. Allergy in the Mediterranean area. I. Pollen counts and pollinosis of Montpellier. Clinical allergy. 1984;14(3):249-58.
- Freeman GL. Pine pollen allergy in northern Arizona. Annals of allergy. 1993;70(6):491-4.
- Marcos C, Rodriguez FJ, Luna I, Jato V, González R. Pinus pollen aerobiology and clinical sensitization in northwest Spain. Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. 2001;87(1):39-42.
- Kalliel JN, Settipane GA. Eastern pine sensitivity in New England. New England and regional allergy proceedings. 1988;9(3):233-5.
- Calabria CW, Dice J. Aeroallergen sensitization rates in military children with rhinitis symptoms. Annals of allergy, asthma & immunology : official publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. 2007;99(2):161-9.
- Mackey SA, Marks JG, Jr. Allergic contact dermatitis to white pine sawdust. Archives of dermatology. 1992;128(12):1660.
- Dutkiewicz J, Skórska C, Dutkiewicz E, Matuszyk A, Sitkowska J, Krysińska-Traczyk E. Response of sawmill workers to work-related airborne allergens. Annals of agricultural and environmental medicine : AAEM. 2001;8(1):81-90.
- Watsky KL. Airborne allergic contact dermatitis from pine dust. American journal of contact dermatitis : official journal of the American Contact Dermatitis Society. 1997;8(2):118-20.
- L Y. Botanical relations and immunological cross-reactions in pollen allergy. 2nd ed Pharmacia Diagnostics AB Uppsala Sweden. 1982.
- González EM, Villalba M, Rodríguez R. Allergenic cross-reactivity of olive pollen. Allergy. 2000;55(7):658-63.
- Cornford CA, Fountain DW, Burr RG. IgE-binding proteins from pine (Pinus radiata D. Don) pollen: evidence for cross-reactivity with ryegrass (Lolium perenne). International archives of allergy and applied immunology. 1990;93(1):41-6.
- Senna G, Roncarolo D, Dama A, Mistrello G. Anaphylaxis to pine nuts and immunological cross-reactivity with pine pollen proteins. Journal of investigational allergology & clinical immunology. 2000;10(1):44-6.