Background: Aeroallergen sensitization is increasing worldwide. The optimal management of allergic disease requires the identification of the allergic sensitivities of the patient. Complete data of offending aeroallergens are scant from West Bengal, India. Hence, we employed a retrospective analysis of an atopic population of West Bengal to investigate the rate of sensitivity toward common aeroallergens including pollens, molds and house dust mites. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the profile of skin prick test (SPT) reactivity of an atopic population of eastern India. Methods: The prevalence aeroallergen sensitization was investigated by SPT along with a questionnaire survey of patients who visited the Allergy and Asthma Research Center of West Bengal, India, from June 2016 to May 2018. Patients were categorized according to the demographic (age, gender) and clinical aspects. Statistical tests were applied to differentiate between age and gender of the sufferers. Results: 524 out of 605 patients exhibited a positive SPT response toward one or more aeroallergens tested. One-way ANOVA following Tukey’s post hoc test reveals the age group of 15–40 years was more sensitized than that of < 15 years and no male-female discrimination was found using the paired t test. House dust mites, namely Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae, elicited most significant SPT results (80.34 and 84.92%, respectively) followed by Cocos (73.28%) and Azaridacta (57.25%) pollen. The most sensitive mold was Alternaria alternata (26.9%). Allergic rhinitis, bronchial asthma and atopic dermatitis were recorded as the common symptoms. Other influencing factors were family history, nature and season/time of onset and house conditions. Conclusion: Following the increasing trend, house dust mite sensitization still held the dominance like in any other Indian population reported earlier. This study would pave the way to construct a standard and minimal SPT panel for the atopic patients of eastern India.

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West Bengal, India, is inhabited by abundance and variety of insects that triggers sensitization in some humans to inhalant allergens and/or insect stings/venoms. Lack of research on this topic prevented accurate diagnosis and proper follow-up treatments to patients suffering from insect-induced allergies. The aim of our study was to identify the allergy-causing insects and evaluate resulting sensitization among a study population in West Bengal, India. The skin prick test (SPT) evaluated sensitivity of 450 patients who sought treatment at the Allergy and Asthma Research Center from July 2017 to June 2018. Eight insect allergens were tested: Common Black Ant (Lasius niger, Linnaeus 1758), Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta, Buren 1972), Honey Bee (Apis cerana indica, Fabricius 1798), Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris, Linnaeus 1758), Mosquito (Aedes aegypti, Linnaeus in Hasselquist 1762), American Cockroach (Periplaneta americana, Linnaeus 1758), House Fly (Musca domestica, Linnaeus 1758), and Grasshopper (Gesonula punctifrons, Stal 1861). From a total of 450 patients evaluated, 370 patients had positive SPT reaction from at least one of the 8 insect allergens tested. Sensitivity to some Hymenoptera insects (common black ant, 87.62%; fire ant, 84.59%; and honey bee, 67.02%) was found in higher proportion than non-Hymenoptera group (mosquito, 66.67%; American cockroach, 33.33%; house fly, 10.41%; and grasshopper, 5.14%). There was significant difference in sensitivity among child, adolescent, and adult (P &lt; 0.001). While female patients showed more sensitivity than males to SPT, the difference was statistically insignificant. In regards to occupation, farmers and bee keepers were most sensitive of field workers sensitive to Hymenoptera-derived allergens.