Kiwifruit allergy across Europe: clinical manifestation and IgE recognition patterns to kiwifruit allergens.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Kiwifruit is a common cause of food allergy. Symptoms range from mild to anaphylactic reactions.

OBJECTIVE:

We sought to elucidate geographic differences across Europe regarding clinical patterns and sensitization to kiwifruit allergens. Factors associated with the severity of kiwifruit allergy were identified, and the diagnostic performance of specific kiwifruit allergens was investigated.

METHODS:

This study was part of EuroPrevall, a multicenter European study investigating several aspects of food allergy. Three hundred eleven patients with kiwifruit allergy from 12 countries representing 4 climatic regions were included. Specific IgE to 6 allergens (Act d 1, Act d 2, Act d 5, Act d 8, Act d 9, and Act d 10) and kiwifruit extract were tested by using ImmunoCAP.

RESULTS:

Patients from Iceland were mainly sensitized to Act d 1 (32%), those from western/central and eastern Europe were mainly sensitized to Act d 8 (pathogenesis-related class 10 protein, 58% and 44%, respectively), and those from southern Europe were mainly sensitized to Act d 9 (profilin, 31%) and Act d 10 (nonspecific lipid transfer protein, 22%). Sensitization to Act d 1 and living in Iceland were independently and significantly associated with severe kiwifruit allergy (odds ratio, 3.98 [P = .003] and 5.60 [P < .001], respectively). Using a panel of 6 kiwifruit allergens in ImmunoCAP increased the diagnostic sensitivity to 65% compared with 20% for skin prick tests and 46% ImmunoCAP using kiwi extract.

CONCLUSION:

Kiwifruit allergen sensitization patterns differ across Europe. The use of specific kiwifruit allergens improved the diagnostic performance compared with kiwifruit extract. Sensitization to Act d 1 and living in Iceland are strong risk factors for severe kiwifruit allergy.

• Authors: Thuy-My Le, Merima Bublin, Heimo Breiteneder, Montserrat Fernández-Rivas, Riccardo Asero, Barbara Ballmer-Weber, Laura Barreales, Peter Bures, Simona Belohlavkova, Frédéric de Blay, Michael Clausen, Ruta Dubakiene, David Gislason, Els van Hoffen, Monika Jedrzejczak-Czechowicz, Marek L Kowalski, Tanya Kralimarkova, Jonas Lidholm, Asa Marknell DeWitt, Clare E N Mills, Nikolaos G Papadopoulos, Todor Popov, Ashok Purohit, Ronald van Ree, Suranjith Seneviratne, Athanasios Sinaniotis, Colin Summers, Sonia Vázquez-Cortés, Stefan Vieths, Lothar Vogel, Karin Hoffmann-Sommergruber, André C Knulst
• Journal: The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology (J Allergy Clin Immunol) Vol. 131 Issue 1 Pg. 164-71 (Jan 2013) ISSN: 1097-6825 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 23141741 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Multicenter Study, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Allergens
• Antigens, Plant
• Immunoglobulin E

Topics

• Actinidia (adverse effects, immunology)
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Allergens (adverse effects, immunology)
• Antigens, Plant (adverse effects, immunology)
• Child
• Europe
• Female
• Food Hypersensitivity (diagnosis, immunology)
• Humans
• Immunoglobulin E (immunology)
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Risk Factors
• Sensitivity and Specificity
• Severity of Illness Index
• Skin Tests
• Young Adult