CONTACT DERMATITIS DUE TO OIL OF CITRONELLA - REPORT OF 3 CASES WITH EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES ON INGREDIENTS AND RELATED SUBSTANCES

[摘要] In 2 of 3 cases of eczematous contact-type hypersensitiveness to oils of citronella, detailed patch test studies made with the ingredients of oil of citronella and some related substances showed that the essential allergen in oil of citronella seems to be citronellal, an aliphatic aldehyde with one double bond. The relationship between oil of citronella and other essential oils is briefly discussed from the point of view of botanical origin, group reactivity and fractional patch tests with the ingredients of oil of citronella and some related substances. Dermatitis due to oil of citronella is probably far more common than has been suspected heretofore, since this and related essential oils are widely used in many commercial products, which poses questions of considerable interest and complexity, and some of these problems are discussed in the article.