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Contact dermatitis caused by tulips: identification of contact sensitizers in tulip workers of K ashmir V alley in N orth I ndia
Author(s) -
Hassan Iffat,
Rasool Farhan,
Akhtar Saniya,
Kamili Afifa,
Rather Parvaiz,
Kanth Raihana,
Bhat Yasmeen,
Rather Shagufta,
Mubashir Syed,
Yaseen Atiya,
Bashir Safia
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
contact dermatitis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1600-0536
pISSN - 0105-1873
DOI - 10.1111/cod.12870
Subject(s) - contact dermatitis , medicine , erythema , allergic contact dermatitis , health hazard , patch test , contact allergy , allergy , toxicology , horticulture , traditional medicine , dermatology , biology , immunology , environmental health
Summary Background Tulip, belonging to the genus Tulipa and family L iliaceae, is a spring‐blooming perennial that grows from bulbs. Owing to manual handling, contact dermatitis can occur in professionals at any stage of the growth cycle of the tulip plant. Objectives To determine the clinical pattern of contact dermatitis resulting from tulip plant cultivation, and to assess contact allergy in workers coming into contact with this plant. Methods One hundred and sixty‐four tulip workers were screened, and 48 patients with suspected contact dermatitis were patch tested with 39 allergens, including haptens from the Indian baseline series, a plant series, and extracts from different parts of the tulip plant. Results Thirty‐nine positive patch test reactions were observed in 21 patients. Seventeen patients showed positive reactions to either α‐ m ethylene‐γ‐butyrolactone or to tulip plant extract. Clinical relevance was observed for 13 of 17 positive patch test reactions. Conclusions Contact dermatitis is an important health hazard in workers dealing with tulip bulbs. Further studies to identify and isolate other possible tulip allergens, and to quantify the amounts of allergens in different parts of the tulip plant, are recommended.