Anaphylactic reactions after therapeutic injection of mistletoe (Viscum album L.).

Mistletoe (Viscum album) is a plant that is semiparasitic of several trees: apple, oak, pine trees, etc. Because of the probable cytolytic action of one of the leaf's most abundant composites, in some countries mistletoe is used as a complementary medicine. Although only a few adverse reactions have been noted (cephalea, fever), cases of anaphylactic shock have been described. We present three cases of severe reaction after injection of mistletoe extract. Two of the patients had cancer. The third, whose brother had cancer, used the plant for preventive purposes. We discuss the danger of possible severe reactions due to the use of products employed in so-called alternative therapies.

Anaphylactic reactions after therapeutic injection of mistletoe (Viscum album L.)

Mistletoe (Viscum album) is a plant that is semiparasitic of several trees: apple, oak, pine trees, etc. Because of the probable cytolytic action of one of the leaf's most abundant composites, in some countries mistletoe is used as a complementary medicine. Although only a few adverse reactions have been noted (cephalea, fever), cases of anaphylactic shock have been described. We present three cases of severe reaction after injection of mistletoe extract. Two of the patients had cancer. The third, whose brother had cancer, used the plant for preventive purposes. We discuss the danger of possible severe reactions due to the use of products employed in so-called alternative therapies (AU)

El Mistletoe (Viscum album) (muérdago o visco blanco) es una planta semiparásita de algunos árboles: manzano, roble, pino, etc., que por la probable acción citolítica de algún compuesto más abundante en las hojas, se emplea en algunos países en el tratamiento del cáncer como medicación complementaria. Aunque se han observado pocas reacciones adversas (cefalea, fiebre) se han descrito casos de choque anafiláctico. En este trabajo se presentan tres casos de reacción grave, tras la inyección de un extracto de la planta. Dos pacientes padecían cáncer y otro empleó el producto por prevención por el N hecho de que un hermano padecía cáncer. Se advierte de las posibles reacciones graves por el uso de productos utilizados en las llamadas terapias alternativas (AU)

[Pollen environment and its evaluation]. / L'environnement pollinique et son évaluation.

We review the methods available for determining airborne pollen. In addition to the classical gravimetric and volumetric methods, new immunochemical techniques are also used for detecting allergenic pollen and measuring of the size of allergen-carrying particles. Pollen counts are available in France for 39 urban sites. In the last decade changes in the pollen environment have basically concerned higher counts from resinous trees in southern France and birch tree counts in northern France as well as a lesser role for ash trees. Among the recent acquisitions, it has been demonstrated that allergens are present in twigs and leaves, or even the bark of certain trees. Interactions with atmospheric pollution is better understood and could be a contributing factor to the increasing number of people allergic to pollen. Pollen allergens can be carried on particles of various sizes and immunochemical studies have demonstrated that gramineous pollen allergens can be carried on starch particles less than 3 mu in diameter. These recent studies would explain the apparent disagreement between pollen counts and the number of clinical manifestations.