Abstract

The mean wheal diameter by prick test for castor bean (Ricinus communis, Euphorbiaceae) extracts was measured in a castor bean allergic population. Three types of castor bean extracts namely Cimmaron, Pacific and dust (a mixture of Cimmaron, Pacific and hull), were applied at 1/10,000 dilutions with a control solution. The subjects comprised 318 male workers who were divided into four groups with a fifth control group of 63 male workers. The solutions were tested on three subject groups with Cimmaron in the first, Pacific in the second, and dust in the third. All three extracts were applied in the fourth and the control groups. The results have shown that the Cimmaron type gives a larger wheal diameter than Pacific or dust at the same concentration. There were statistically significant differences between the wheal diameters caused by different extracts in the same subjects. The possibility of producing a type of seed containing less amount of allergen could be considered and experimented on by the agricultural research bodies.

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