Contact hypersensitivity to sesquiterpene lactones in Chyrsanthemum dermatitis

In six persons with contact allergy to chrysanthemum of florists, patch tests were performed with 25 sequiterpene lactones. Positive responses were observed to 15 lactones. The most frequently encountered positive responses were to alantolactone (positive in all cases) and to arbusculin A, 8-deoxycumambrin, ambrosin, damsin and psilostachynin. The findings corroborate the assumption that an alpha-methylene group attached to the gamma-lactone ring is an essential prerequisite for allergenic activity of sesquiterpene lactones. Pyrethrum produced a positive reaction in one of the patients, pyrethrins gave negative reactions in all. Some of the chrysanthemum patients were also hypersensitive to turpentine and colophony and to garlic, primin and tars.