Incidence of histoplasmin hypersensitivity in the Philippines |
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Authors: | Bulmer Amelia C Bulmer Glenn S |
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Institution: | (1) Allergy Division, JF Cotton Hospital, Manila, Philippines;(2) Department of Dermatology, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, P.R. China |
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Abstract: | Long-term residents of the Philippines were skin tested with histoplasmin skin test material. This study was conducted with
143 electric company (MERALCO) employees from Manila, Philippines. We found that 37 (26 %) of the subjects were skin test
positive. Characteristics of the positive group were: average age of 37 years; all except one were lifelong inhabitants of
Metro Manila; 25 were male and 12 were female; one-half of the subjects reported extended contact with chickens. Despite these
findings, histoplasmosis is considered to be a very rare disease in the Philippines. This survey indicates that Histoplasma capsulatum is sufficiently present in the Philippines to come in contact withone-fourth of the test population. This reinforces the
hypothesis that histoplasmosis is present in the Philippines and is probably being misdiagnosed as granulomatous-inducing
diseases such as tuberculosis, e.g., so-called “drug resistant” tuberculosis. We recommend larger surveys of this type and
attempts to culture the etiologic agent from natural sources such as chicken and bat droppings.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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Keywords: | histoplasmosis histoplasmin penicilliosis Orient Philippines skin test |
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