23 and 24 The importance of insect inhalant antigens has been discussed for decades.3 and 7 In this

study, the moth was the second most frequent aeroallergen regarding positivity verified AZD6244 concentration by SPT and specific IgE serum levels, suggesting that this insect should be considered a sensitizing agent for patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis. The study participants were not silk industry workers, and therefore had no occupational exposure to Bombyx mori. Kino and Oshima evaluated asthmatic patients at random and found sensitivity to moth and butterfly by SPT and radioallergosorbent test (RAST) in the sera of over one third of cases. The authors concluded that the insects are easily attracted to the artificial light of households and may cause sensitization and respiratory allergy symptoms.[11] A group of asthmatics with no history of occupational exposure (n = 50) showed a frequency of positivity

at the SPT for Bombyx mori of 68%,12 higher than that observed in the present patients (52.5%); both studies used antigenic extract prepared from the wings of moths. This difference may have occurred because the population was studied in Japan, in smaller numbers, consisted of adults, and had different life habits and exposure to different climate and environment. This study showed an association between SPT positivity for Bombyx mori and the corresponding specific serum IgE by ImmunoCAP®, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the extract made to test sensitization to moth. check Moreover, in patients with positive learn more SPT, levels of specific IgE to Bombyx mori were higher. When evaluating the frequency of positivity to specific IgE for moth according to the severity of allergic rhinitis, it was observed that patients with more severe disease had more positive serum specific IgEs for

moth by the RAST method,25 differently from that found for the population of the present study, in which there was more positivity at the SPT for Bombyx mori in patients with rhinitis; however, there was no correlation with symptom severity. This difference may be explained by the different methods used to detect specific IgE and by the higher number of participants in the study conducted in Japan. Although the assessed population of patients with atopic dermatitis and urticaria was small, more dermatological allergic diseases were diagnosed in those reactive to moth. This could be explored in the future, as there have been few reports of allergic and irritant reactions in the skin after contact with moths.26 and 27 It is known that there is cross‐reactivity between insect allergens. It was demonstrated by RAST‐inhibition assay that there is cross‐reactivity between similar species, such as butterfly and moth,12 but also between different species, such as moth and mosquito.