Essential oils for the treatment of dust mites

House mites, including D. pteronyssinus and D. farina, are common causes of allergic diseases, such as asthma, atopic dermatitis, eczema, conjunctivitis and perennial rhinitis in susceptible patients. Conventional acaricides, such as benzyl benzoate, bifenthrin, chlorpyrifos are effective chemicals in treating mites. However, they are usually with high drug resistance and high adverse effects on environment, human health, and non-target organisms. Recently, essential oils from different plants were found to be safe and effective alternatives for killing different types of mites. The present review summarized the essential oils from different plants. The crude essential oils from Melissa officinalis, S.lavandulifolia oil, cade oil, P. cattleianum, Patchouli oil, Horseradish oil, C. cassia, P. cablin, Manuka oil, Clove Bud oil, and the pure essential oils, such as eugenol, caryophyllene, and camphor might be good candidates for the dust mites. Further studies on biological mechanisms of the acaricidal effects of these active essential oils, and the structure-activity relationships are needed to make the functions of these drugs more clear.

Relationship Between Rhinitis, Asthma, and Eczema and the Presence of Sensitization in Young Swiss Adults

Background Rhinitis is a very common disease with allergies being the most frequent causative factor. It can co-occur together with asthma and eczema in atopic as well as in nonatopic patients. Objectives To assess the prevalence of allergic sensitization within patient groups with rhinitis in consideration of the co-occurring disorders of asthma and eczema. Methods Students of the third year of medical school completed an anonymous questionnaire on age, gender, and clinical symptoms, such as seasonal rhinitis, perennial rhinitis, asthma, and eczema, and underwent an ImmunoCAP Rapid test. We calculated the prevalence of sensitization within subgroups of patients reporting allergic disorders, such as rhinitis, asthma, and eczema. Results Questionnaires and ImmunoCAP Rapid tests of 1513 medical students were analyzed. The participants’ self-reported presence of seasonal/perennial rhinitis, asthma, and eczema was compared to the presence of sensitization. Data of 1467 subjects could be analyzed. Seasonal rhinitis was the most common symptom, followed by eczema, asthma, and perennial rhinitis. The participants were differentiated into 16 subgroups according to the combined clinical manifestations of the different symptoms and association to sensitization within subgroups. The prevalence of sensitization ranged from 18% in subjects reporting only eczema without any other symptom to 100% in those reporting to have asthma, seasonal/perennial rhinitis, and eczema together. In subjects reporting no sign or symptom at all, the prevalence of sensitization was 19%. Seasonal rhinitis was the strongest single predictor for sensitization with the highest proportion of sensitized participants in all symptom combinations (67%–100%), followed by perennial rhinitis (31%–100%), asthma (30%–100%), and eczema (18%–100%). Conclusion Rhinitis most often is associated with allergen sensitization, and the probability of sensitization is substantially enhanced by co-occurrence of asthma. A careful assessment of clinical signs and symptoms is important and enables the selection of patients in whom targeted diagnostic analysis and therapy is appropriate. Trial registration: retrospectively registered by the Cantonal Ethics Committee Zurich on 22.01.2016; Nr: 08-2016.

INFLUENCE OF THE FUNGAL MICROFLORA ON THE COURSE OF PERENNIAL ALLERGIC RHINITIS IN CHILDREN

Background. The purpose of our research was to study the influence of fungal microflora for perennial rhinitis in children to improve the treatment of this disease. Methods. 79 children aged from 7 to 18 years with perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR) with fungal colonization of the nasal mucosa were examined. Patients underwent clinical, allergy, culturing mycological examination of the mucous membranes of the nose, as well as determination of circulating Candida antigen in serum by ampero-metric enzyme immunoassay sensor. Results. Fungi Candida were dominated — in 75,9% of cases in the structure of mycotic colonization, while mold fungi Aspergillus were observed rarely (24,1%). Colonization of the nasal mucosa with fungi Candida in children with PAR makes disease severe and symptoms become more painful that manifest severe nasal congestion, abundant mucus. PAR patients with nasal colonization of the fungi genus Candida in 58,3% of cases in the circulating blood serum had Candida antigen, that indicating the development of invasive Candida infections. That's why therapy of this disease must be improved. Inclusion of antimicrobial agents to the treatment with further traditional therapy of PAR leads to an overall therapeutic effect in 77,1% of cases. Conclusion. In patients with PAR fungal microflora aggravates the disease and the treatment needs to be improved with the inclusion of antibiotics, which lead to high clinical improvement.