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Updated: May 17, 2026
Candidate Gene Testing in Clinical Cohort Studies with Multiplexed Genotyping and Mass Spectrometry
Published on: June 21, 2018
IL-13: a marker of chromium contact allergy
1Department of Dermatology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Background:
Allergic contact dermatitis is a frequent, often disabling disease caused by countless substances. Patch testing remains the gold standard test to identify the causative agent; however, it is subjective, time-consuming and not completely safe. Alternative methods were tried, but significant success has only been achieved with nickel.
Objective:
Develop an alternative or complementary allergic contact dermatitis diagnostic test.
Methods:
We compared the lymphocyte proliferative rate and cytokine production (IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17 and RANTES) between 18 chromium allergic patients and 19 controls.
Results:
The lymphocyte proliferation test and some of the cytokines tested (IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-5, IL-12 and IL-13) were able to discriminate allergic patients. However, striking results were only achieved using IL-13, leading to an accuracy of about 90%.
Conclusions:
If further studies confirm the data found, IL-13 could be used as an alternative or complementary test to detect chromium contact allergy whereas lymphocyte proliferation test, IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-5 and IL-12 detections may serve as additional diagnostic tests.
