[The use of the direct basophil degranulation test for the diagnosis of allergy]

Basophil degranulation test (BDT) was used in examinations of patients suffering from allergies. A modified technique was employed with toluidine blue staining and basophil scintillation in a counter chamber. The examinees were divided into three groups. Group 1 (n = 34) consisted of patients suffering from atopic bronchial asthma with suspected sensitization to home dust. Group 2 included 118 patients with a history of allergy to penicillin. Group 3 consisted of 51 patients with drug allergies (streptomycin, vitamin B1, procaine, analgin intolerance). In all the cases specific diagnosis was confirmed by skin and provocation test. 71.4 percent of the patients with sensitization to home dust allergen showed positive results in BDT, as did 68.6 percent of Group 3 subjects. Of the cases with penicillin sensitization confirmed by application test 91.7 percent were positive in BDT, of those with positive intradermal tests, 66.7 percent were BDT-positive, this being probably explained by individual sensitivity of the patients. These results recommend BDT, an informative and simple technique, for wide practice.