Component-Resolved Analyses for Diagnosis of Food Allergies in Infants and Young Children in Southern China

Abstract

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Chicken eggs and cow’s milk are two of the most common foods that cause allergic reactions in infants and young children, and there is a lack of precise diagnostic methods to identify the allergic state of these patients. The recently developed food allergen component-resolved diagnosis (CRD) may be a more accurate diagnosis method for food allergies. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> One hundred children sensitized to egg white and milk crude extracts and diagnosed with or suspected allergic disease were included. The specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) (s) of animal food allergen crude extracts (egg yolk, milk, shrimp, crab, cod, beef) and the main components of egg white and milk were tested. The sensitization characteristics, cross-reactivity, and clinical relevance were analyzed. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The results of egg white-sensitized patients showed that ovalbumin (Gal d 2) had the highest positive rate of 100%. Compared with other pairwise combinations of egg allergens<b>,</b> the combination of egg white and Gal d 2 had higher diagnostic accuracy, with an AUC of 0.876 (95% CI: 0.801–0.951), a sensitivity of 88.9%, and a specificity of 75.9%. The positive rates of beta-lactoglobulin (Bos d 5) and alpha-lactoglobulin (Bos d 4) in the milk-sensitized children were comparable, 92% and 91%, respectively. The combination of crude milk extract and Bos d 4 had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an AUC of 0.969 (95% CI: 0.938–0.999), a sensitivity of 100%, and a specificity of 82.7%. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Among these subjects, our study found the main allergenic component of egg white was Gal d 2, and the main allergenic components of milk were Bos d 4 and Bos d 5. CRD may help identify egg/milk allergies and non-allergies.

Electrical Fields in the Processing of Protein-Based Foods

“…The most relevant and common food allergy in infants is cow's milk allergy, presenting a prevalence of 5% in children [162]. Cow's milk allergy can be associated with different allergenic molecules, with Bos d 4 and Bos d 5, corresponding to α-La and β-Lg, respectively, being the main sensitization allergens [163]. In that regard, the effects of MEF in the thermal denaturation/aggregation process of these proteins could exhibit a relevant impact on the allergenicity of milk proteins since denaturation causes conformational changes in tertiary structures of proteins, whilst enabling interactions with other molecules, which can change the sensitization potential of these proteins in allergic individuals [164].…”