ArtemisiaAllergy Research in China

Abstract

Artemisia is the most important outdoor allergen throughout China. It can cause allergic rhinitis, asthma, or both of them. Since it was verified as an allergenic pollen in 1960, it was identified two times in the Chinese National Pollen Survey (1984, 2009). The first oral immunotherapy double-blinded trial for Artemisia pollen asthma research was conducted in China in 1989 and published in 1990. 40 years since that study, there have been many published research reports on Chinese Artemisia allergy. This review summarizes the information regarding the discovery of Artemisia as an allergenic pollen, pollen account, epidemiology, allergen components, immunological changes in hay fever patients, natural course from rhinitis to asthma, diagnosis, and immunotherapies in China.

Artemisia pollen allergy in China: Component‐resolved diagnosis reveals allergic asthma patients have significant multiple allergen sensitization

“…Although the prevalence of 66% in SX is quite similar to that reported in central Europe, IgE levels are much higher. The striking difference between SX and SD is most likely explained by a higher pollen load in SX and possibly by different Artemisia species dominating in the regions . Art ar 2 had the least prevalence (42%‐48%) and IgE levels, being close to the 58% for Art v 2 reported in Europe …”

“…A cross‐sectional study has shown that overall, while about 11.3% of patients in China with respiratory allergies are sensitized to Artemisia pollen, this value is much higher in Northern China (>50%). Among the major pollen species causing seasonal allergic asthma in China, Artemisia pollen has the highest association index . The hop ( Humulus scandens ) , ragweed ( Ambrosia artemisiifolia ), and goosefoot ( Chenopodium album ) pollen seasons overlap with that of Artemisia , but their IgE positive rate was significantly lower in a survey of a large number of ImmunoCAP tests in Beijing .…”

“…pollen extracts, or ImmunoCAP (w6, A. vulgaris extract); CRD has rarely been applied to establish sensitization profiles or to direct allergen immunotherapy in Chinese mugwort‐allergic patients. In addition, the relation between IgE responses to different components and clinical phenotypes has barely been explored . Here, we used ImmunoCAP to evaluate the importance of IgE to four Artemisia pollen components: Art v 1 (defensin‐like protein), Art ar 2 (pathogenesis‐related protein 1), Art v 3 (lipid transfer protein), and Art an 7 (putative galactose oxidase) in a group of 240 Chinese Artemisia pollen‐allergic patients from three different Chinese provinces (Shanxi, Shandong, and Yunnan, respectively) with characteristic seasonal Artemisia pollen counts, and describe possible associations with demographics and clinical phenotypes.…”

Eight Aeroallergen Skin Extracts May Be the Optimal Panel for Allergic Rhinitis Patients in Central China

“…Besides the different allergenicities among pollens, frequent rain in this area also restricts the spread of pollens. In contrast, the dry, windy, and rainless climate in Northern China leads to the epidemic of pollinosis [21]. Similar to other regions, mold sensitization is usually less common than mite and pollen causes [22].…”

Localization of Four Allergens in Artemisia Pollen by Immunofluorescent Antibodies

“…Artemisia pollens have been recognized as a major cause for late summer and autumn seasonal allergic respiratory disease worldwide, particularly in China, north of the Yangzi river [1]. Molecular characterization of Artemisia pollen allergens has revealed 7 protein molecules [2].…”