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Inhalant allergy to egg yolk and egg white proteins
Author(s) -
Santiago Quirce,
M. L. DíezGómez,
Pablo Eirás,
M. Cuevas,
G. Baz,
E. Losada
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2222.1998.00253.x
Subject(s) - egg white , yolk , egg allergy , sensitization , lysozyme , allergy , allergen , egg albumin , immunology , food allergy , albumin , immunoglobulin e , antigen , biology , medicine , antibody , chemistry , food science , biochemistry , chromatography
Background Several egg white and egg yolk and avian proteins have been described as a cause of inhalant allergy. Sometimes inhalational type I hypersensitivity to these proteins is associated with food allergy to egg. Objective We studied two patients who experienced respiratory and food allergic symptoms upon exposure to egg or avian antigens through the inhalative or digestive routes. Clinical and immunological studies were carried out in order to identify individual allergens from these sources that could be responsible for crossreactivity reactions. Results Patient 1 showed IgE sensitization to egg yolk livetins, feathers, and chicken serum. Specific bronchial challenge with chicken albumin and livetin extracts elicited a positive early asthmatic response and an increase in serum eosinophil cationic protein. Immunoblot and CAP‐inhibition studies in this patient supported that chicken albumin (α‐livetin) was the crossreactive antigen present in egg yolk and chicken serum and feathers. Patient 2 showed sensitization to egg white, ovomucoid and lysozyme. However, SDS‐PAGE and immunoblot studies demonstrated contaminating lysozyme in the ovomucoid extract and identified lysozyme as the main allergen causing egg sensitization in this patient. Conjunctival challenge test confirmed allergy to lysozyme. Conclusion Egg yolk and egg white proteins may act not only as ingested allergens but also as aeroallergens. Immunological studies using highly purified preparations of egg proteins are useful for the accurate diagnosis of allergic reactions to egg proteins and to identify individual allergens that may be responsible for crossreactivity reactions.