A group of 51 herb processing workers employed in a big herb processing facility
located in eastern Poland were examined by the skin and precipitin tests with,
respectively, 4 and 17 extracts of microorganisms associated with organic dusts.
Out of this number, 32 workers were examined by the skin test with 7 extracts of
selected herbs processed in the facility. All the subjects were asked about the
occurrence of work-related symptoms. 32 healthy office workers were examined
with microbial extracts as a reference group. The herb processing workers showed
a high proportion of early skin reactions (after 20 min) to the extract of
Gram-negative bacterium Alcaligenes faecalis (41.2%), significantly higher
compared to the reference group (p<0.01). At all time intervals (20 min, 8
hrs, 24 hrs), the workers responded with a high frequency to the extract of
Bacillus subtilis (respectively 72.5%, 64.7%, and 15.7%), significantly greater
compared to the reference group (respectively p<0.001, p<0.001, and
p<0.05). No significant differences were found between the groups of herb
processing workers and referents in skin response to the extracts of
Streptomyces albus and Alternaria alternata and, except for the extract of
Pantoea agglomerans, in the frequency of positive precipitin reactions to
microbial antigens. In the skin test with herb extracts, the highest response
among workers were caused by the extracts of chamomile flowers and nettle leaves
which evoked 40-65% of positive skin reactions at all time intervals. 39 out of
51 interviewed herb processing workers (76.5%) reported the occurrence of
work-related general, respiratory and skin symptoms. The positive skin reactions
occurred more frequently among symptomatic workers which suggests that the
specific immunologic response might be implicated in etiopathogenesis of
work-related symptoms in examined workers. However, in most cases the
differences did not attain a significance level which indicates that there is no
direct relationship between a positive immunologic response and the appearance
of symptoms caused by occupational exposure to herb dust, and that most probably
a considerable part of these symptoms might be also due to non-specific
immunologic and/or toxic mechanisms.