IgE-mediated sensitization in seafood processing workers

Background: Animal-derived proteins are implicated in primary food allergies, but also in inhalant allergies with secondary food allergy symptoms. The objective of this study was to define the allergen(s) implicated in a case of food allergy to chicken meat, which developed in a person previously sensitized to pork after occupational exposure. Methods: A 42-year-old female with a history of occupational inhalant allergy to pork reported rhinitis, asthma, dysphonia and conjunctivitis 30 min after ingestion of chicken. Skin tests were positive to chicken meat. Protein extracts were prepared from chicken meat. Allergens were characterized by IgE immunoblotting, N-terminal sequencing and ELISA. Results: The patient showed specific IgE binding to chicken meat proteins at 12, 14, 26, 55 and 65 kDa. N-terminal amino acid sequencing identified the 12- and 14-kDa proteins as the α- and β-chain of hemoglobin. ELISA and immunoblot showed specific IgE binding to hemoglobin purified from chicken blood. IgE antibodies to chicken serum albumin were detected by ELISA. Inhibition studies with chicken and porcine hemoglobin as well as with serum albumins demonstrated cross-reactive IgE antibodies. Conclusions: We report a case of confirmed occupational inhalant allergy due to pork followed by food allergy to pork and 3 years later by food allergy to chicken. Porcine and chicken hemoglobin were found to be cross-reactive allergens. Cross-reactivity between porcine and chicken serum albumin was possibly linked to a prior sensitization to cat serum albumin.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational Inhalant Allergy to Pork followed by Food Allergy to Pork and Chicken: Sensitization to Hemoglobin and Serum Albumin

Hilger

Swiontek

Hentges

et al. 2009

“…Shrimps are a highly valued commodity, and several species of marine decapod crustaceans are captured and traded all over the world. Aside from shrimp consumption, crustacean allergies affect seafood workers who are occupationally exposed to the product [2, 3]. Due to the increase in seafood trading worldwide, immediate hypersensitivity reactions to these products have become an important health issue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Characterization of Arginine Kinase, an Allergen from the Shrimp <i>Litopenaeus vannamei</i>

García-Orozco

Aispuro‐Hernández

Yépiz-Plascencia

et al. 2007

149

Background: Consumption of seafood can produce allergic symptoms in susceptible individuals and crustacean allergies are the most frequently reported causes of allergic reactions. Methods: An allergen from the muscle of the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei was purified by ion exchange chromatography and identified by mass spectrometry of tryptic peptides and its specific enzymatic activity. Moreover, the corresponding full-length cDNA was obtained from an L. vannamei muscle cDNA library. Results: A 40-kDa protein was purified and identified as arginine kinase and its cDNA of 1.4 kb encoded a 356 amino acid protein. The obtained arginine kinase was recognized by IgE in serum from shrimp-allergic individuals using ELISA and immunoblotting analysis. Conclusions: This is the first allergen reported for the Pacific white shrimp species; it was named Lit v 2 and has a 96% identity to Pen m 2 from Penaeus monodon.

“…While no animal model would be expected to be identical to the entire spectrum of human SF allergies, which is highly complex, further refinement of existing models is desirable. Our approach of not using adjuvants provided a unique opportunity to study adverse immune reactions to SF protein in the natural context of human TDE such as in the seafood industry [13,14,15,27,33]. Furthermore, an adjuvant-free model, such as the one described here, is not only useful for studying the mechanistic and genetic aspects of SF allergy development, it can be used to evaluate the long-term consequences of disease (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SF-specific IgG1, IgG2a, IgE and tIgE ELISAs were optimized, using the general ELISA-based method described by us previously [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,29]. For the plasma tIgE measurement, ELISA plates were coated with a capture anti-mouse IgE antibody per the supplier's protocol (BD Pharmingen).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is growing evidence that nonoral routes of exposure to food allergens (for example, via the skin) may be involved in some food allergy sensitization. Previous studies elegantly show the importance of nonoral routes of exposure such as the skin and aerosol routes to seafood allergens in occupational settings [13,14,15]. In 1 study, the prevalence of occupational protein contact dermatitis was 3-11% among seafood workers [15], and in another, reactions to skin exposure (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

An Adjuvant-Free Mouse Model of Transdermal Sensitization and Oral Elicitation of Anaphylaxis to Shellfish

Parvataneni

Gonipeta

Acharya

et al. 2015

Background: Shellfish (SF) allergy is a leading cause of systemic anaphylaxis in humans. An adjuvant-free mouse model to evaluate allergenicity and oral anaphylaxis to SF is currently unavailable. Here, we tested the hypothesis that transdermal exposure (TDE) to SF protein extract (SFPE) not only elicits a systemic allergic immune response but also will clinically sensitize mice for oral anaphylaxis. Methods: Adult BALB/c female mice (6-8 weeks of age) were exposed to saline or SFPE once a week for 4 weeks using a transdermal sensitization method. Systemic SF-specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a and total (t)IgE responses were measured using ELISA. Systemic anaphylaxis upon oral SFPE administration was assessed according to clinical symptoms and the hypothermia shock response (HSR). Using individual mouse data, the correlation between the readouts of allergenicity was determined using Pearson's analysis. Spleen-cell IL-4 and IFN-γ responses were determined using primary cell culture and ELISA. Results: TDE to SFPE resulted in marked systemic specific (s)IgE, tIgE, IgG1 and IgG2a responses. Oral challenge with SFPE in sensitized mice (but not controls) elicited systemic anaphylactic clinical reactions and HSR. A strong correlation was observed between sIgE, tIgE and HSR. Spleen cells isolated from allergic mice (but not controls) exhibited memory IL-4 and IFN-γ cytokine responses. Conclusion: We report a novel adjuvant-free mouse model of SF allergy with robust quantifiable and correlated readouts of allergenicity that may be used in basic biomedical, preclinical and applied food/nutrition research on SF allergy.