Synonyms for Patch Test Haptens
Thimerosal is also known as thiomersal, sodium ethyl-mercury thiosalicylate, and Merthiolate; mercury(II) amidochloride is synonymous with ammoniated mercury and mercury amidochloride; and captan has no relevant synonyms in the context of patch testing allergens.
Thimerosal Synonyms
Thimerosal has several well-established alternative names used interchangeably in medical literature and clinical practice:
- Thiomersal - This is the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) and the most common alternative spelling, particularly used in European literature 1, 2
- Merthiolate - The original trade name for this compound 3, 4
- Sodium ethyl-mercury thiosalicylate - The full chemical name describing its composition as an organomercurial compound that is 49.55% mercury by weight 3
The compound rapidly decomposes in aqueous solutions into ethyl-mercury hydroxide and ethyl-mercury chloride 3. It was developed in 1927 and has been used as a preservative in pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and topical products 5, 4.
Mercury(II) Amidochloride Synonyms
Mercury(II) amidochloride is referred to by the following alternative names:
- Ammoniated mercury - The most common alternative name
- Mercury amidochloride - A shortened version of the chemical name
This mercurial compound is used as a patch test hapten to detect contact allergy to mercury-containing substances 2, 6. Note that Spain's GEIDAC eliminated both thimerosal and mercury from their 2016 standard patch test series due to low frequency of relevant allergic reactions 6, though mercury/mercury(II)amidochloride remains clinically relevant in Turkish populations where it showed 2-fold increased sensitization after 2007 2.
Captan
Captan does not have synonyms relevant to patch testing. The evidence provided 7 discusses topiramate (an antiepileptic drug), not captan the fungicide/allergen. Captan is a fungicide that may cause allergic contact dermatitis, but no alternative chemical names are commonly used in the patch testing literature for this specific hapten.
Clinical Context
When documenting patch test results or reviewing patient histories, be aware that patients may have been tested with these allergens under different names depending on the country, time period, or testing series used. The British Association of Dermatologists guidelines emphasize standardization of nomenclature for patch testing 8, making awareness of these synonyms essential for accurate interpretation of historical test results.