Inhaled antigens mainly referred to bronchial asthma were reviewed with special reference to antigens inherent in Japan.
The three classical antigens that are windborne plant pollens, mold spores and house dust, have been still of importance. Of these, plant pollens are the principal offenders. Increasing attention has been payed to pollen allergy and atmospheric pollens for these about ten years. This leads to the fact that the native plants are rather important relative to the introduced ones. These are Japanese cedar, Japanese oak, Japanese alder, Japanese birch and orientally originated elm of trees, rice and Eulalia of grass, and sagebrush, daisy-fleabane in orient origin and Japanese hop of weeds. Under closed, occupational circumstances, unexpected plants may be contributed to the production of pollen allergy: strawberry, sugar beat, chrysanthemum and Dalmatian chrysanthemum.
The place of molds as allergens has been less completely evaluated than that of pollens. However, sorts of mold and its significance in allergy practice are generally in common with different countries. Alternaria, cladsporium, aspergillus, penicillium and candida are commonly encountered as allergens also in Japan. Potent molds should be rather divided into two groups from the stanpoint of allergy practice. One is the group including alternaria and cladsporium, whose spores are quite air-borne, and have definite season, so that these spores-sensitive patients show seasonal symptoms. Another is the group composing of candida and/or aspergillus and penicillium which grow to approximately the same extent both indoor and outdoor, and have not definite season, and may grow on human body. The latter group may induce a perenial allergic state into atopic individuals, and moreover induce an allergic phenomenon designated type 3 or type 4, which resembles apparently to infectious allergy. Trichophyton could share one of the second group on the score of having property to introduce both early and late reaction.
House dust mite has been intensively surveyed. There was a good correlation between house dust and mite clinically and fundamentally. This leads the result that Dermatopha-goides pteronyssinus is a common and important antigen in Japan.
The other miscellaneons antigens are generally related to occupation or locally conditioned environment. There are various antigens found in restricted or closed area: sea-squirt, buckwheat, red cedar, amorphollus konyak, spores of Letinus edodes, animal danders handled by hair-pencile makers, and pollens mentioned above.
On the other hand, we are now awake to simple chemicals which, for instance, have been typically presented by penicillin allergy. MSIS named by Popa has an interesting problem and a more important subject to study in future.
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