Journal
INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF ALLERGY AND IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 154, Issue 4, Pages 345-348Publisher
KARGER
DOI: 10.1159/000321827
Keywords
Food allergy; Contact urticaria; Allergens; Lipid transfer protein; Peach
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background: Peach-induced contact urticaria is frequent in peach-allergic subjects. Objective: It was the aim of this study to detect whether contact urticaria is associated with a specific peach allergen. Methods: Ninety-two peach-allergic subjects were studied. Patients were diagnosed as being sensitized to lipid transfer protein (LTP; Pru p 3) or as having a pollen-food allergy syndrome induced by Pru p 1 and/or profilin, Pru p4, on the basis of the results of a skin prick test containing these allergenic proteins in an isolated form. Specific IgE to peach extract was measured as well. Contact urticaria was confirmed by a contact test with intact, untreated peach. A contact test with nectarine was carried out as control. Results: Overall, contact urticaria was present in 21% of patients; the peach contact test scored positive in all cases. Contact urticaria was significantly more frequent in patients hypersensitive to LTP (63%) than in subjects with pollen-food allergy syndrome (6%; p < 0.001) and was not associated with a higher level of peach-specific IgE. In several cases, contact urticaria preceded the onset of food allergy by years. The contact test with nectarine scored negative in 5/5 cases. Conclusions: Although the peach contact test was not performed in all subjects, and peach allergy was not confirmed by oral challenges, this study shows that peach-induced contact urticaria is associated with sensitization to peach LTP. The negative clinical history and contact test with nectarine along with the well-known high concentration of LTP in peach fuzz suggest that peach fuzz plays a role in the pathogenesis of contact urticaria. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available