Stress Ethylene in Hevea Brasiliensis: Physiological, Cellular and Molecular Aspects

Health-care workers and latex allergy

Latex hypersensitivity can pose a threat to anyone, but health-care providers are among the high-risk groups for developing latex hypersensitivity. Latex hypersensitivity likely results from health-care workers' increased use of gloves following implementation of universal precautions. It is also believed that the antigenic load of latex gloves causes an increase in latex hypersensitivity resulting from massive production of gloves. Although there are many studies on the prevalence of latex hypersensitivity among health-care workers, there appear to be discrepancies, which may affect the different apparent prevalence. Testing for latex hypersensitivity raises another problem. Latex allergens cannot be identified specifically; therefore, there is no standard test or testing solution that can identify hypersensitive persons. Although latex glove hypersensitivity was first identified in the late 1970s, there remain many uncertainties associated with it; as a result, there is a growing concern among health-care providers. The authors offer several precautions to avoid the development of latex hypersensitivity.

One of the rubber latex allergens is a lysozyme

BACKGROUND

Type I hypersensitivity reactions caused by latex products are ascribed to proteins eluted from them, but little is known about the properties of these allergenic proteins. The reason for the cross-reaction between rubber latex and fruits is also not known. We have speculated that a series of defense-related proteins in plants is a cause of latex allergy and the cross reaction.

OBJECTIVE

To verify our hypothesis, we selected a lysozyme as a representative defense-related protein and examined its relationship to latex allergy.

METHODS

Lysozymes eluted from latex gloves were detected with a cell-suspension clearing test. A chromatographically separated lysozyme was investigated for its physicochemical and enzymatic properties and allergenicity.

RESULTS

Lysozyme activity was detected in extracts from ammoniated latex and latex gloves. We separated a lysozyme (27 kd; isoelectric point, 9.5) using cation-exchange and gel filtration chromatography. This lysozyme was enzymatically very similar to fruit lysozymes and was demonstrated to be an allergen.

CONCLUSIONS

One of the rubber latex allergens is a lysozyme that has similarities to fruit lysozymes. This suggests the relevance of defense-related proteins to latex allergy and the cross reaction.