Allergy Asthma Immunol Res.  2010 Apr;2(2):141-143. 10.4168/aair.2010.2.2.141.

A Case of Occupational Rhinitis Caused by Rice Powder in the Grain Industry

• Kim JH
• Kim JE
• Choi GS
• Hwang EK
• An S
• Ye YM
• Park HS

• KMID: 2260601
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4168/aair.2010.2.2.141

Abstract

Rice is the major staple food in a large part of the world, especially in Asia. Hypersensitivity reactions to rice are rare. Moreover, cases of occupational allergies induced by inhalation of rice powder are uncommon. We report a 31-year-old male with work-related rhinitis and conjunctivitis symptoms caused by occupational exposure to rice powder in the grain industry. He showed positive responses to rice extracts on a skin prick test, and a high level of serum specific IgE to rice was detected by ELISA. Occupational rhinitis was confirmed by a nasal provocation test with rice extracts. An IgE ELISA inhibition test showed cross-creativity between rice and various grass pollen extracts. These findings suggest that the inhalation of rice powder can induce IgE-mediated occupational rhino-conjunctivitis, which may be derived from cross-reactivity to major grass pollens.

Keyword

Occupational rhinitis; rice; grass pollen; cross-reactivity; immediate hypersensitivity

MeSH Terms

Adult
Asia
Edible Grain
Conjunctivitis
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
Humans
Hypersensitivity
Hypersensitivity, Immediate
Immunoglobulin E
Inhalation
Male
Nasal Provocation Tests
Occupational Exposure
Poaceae
Pollen
Rhinitis
Skin
Immunoglobulin E

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Result of the skin prick test showing a positive response to rice extracts (C, normal saline; H, histamine).

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  Fig. 2 (A) Specific IgE ELISA to rice extracts in sera from the patient and 10 non-atopic healthy controls. Horizontal bars indicate the positive cutoff value determined from the mean ± 3 SD of the absorbance value of normal controls. (B) Result of the rice IgE-ELISA inhibition test with additions of rice and grass pollen extracts including rye, timothy, and orchard grasses and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus.

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  Fig. 3 The serial changes in the eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) level presented as the ratio to total protein in nasal lavage fluids, and symptom scores during the nasal provocation test with rice extracts (1 mg/mL).

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