Conjonctivite allergique : un mécanisme inhabituel

A case of chronic conjunctivitis in an infant in Provence, symptoms being present in the first three months of the year, allowed us to observe both a positive delayed (48 h) contact skin test and a positive delayed (24 h) conjunctival provocation test (CPT) to cypress; immediate skin tests were negative or doubtful. Specific sublingual desensitization resulted in regression of the symptoms, but the young patient could not swallow the extract without triggering painful pharyngeal symptoms. Delayed sensitization is unusual in this sort of condition and shows the importance of delayed reading of CPTs as well as the utility of patch tests with aeroallerens.