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Due to the widespread use of shellfish ingredients in food products, accurate food labelling is urgently needed for consumers with shellfish allergies. Most crustacean allergen detection systems target the immunorecognition of the allergenic protein tropomyosin. However, this mode of detection may be affected by an origin-dependent protein composition. This study determined if the geographic location of capture, or aquaculture, influenced the allergenic protein profiles of Black Tiger Shrimp ( ), one of the most farmed and consumed shrimp species worldwide. Protein composition was analysed in shrimp from nine different locations in the Asia-Pacific by SDS-PAGE, immunoblotting, and mass spectrometry. Ten of the twelve known shrimp allergens were detected, but with considerable differences between locations. Sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein, myosin light chain, and tropomyosin were the most abundant allergens in all locations. Hemocyanin-specific antibodies could identify up to six different isoforms, depending on the location of origin. Similarly, tropomyosin abundance varied by up to 13 times between locations. These findings suggest that allergen abundance may be related to shrimp origin and, thus, shrimp origin might directly impact the readout of commercial crustacean allergen detection kits, most of which target tropomyosin, and this should be considered in food safety assessments.

Purpose of Review To review current indoor allergen sampling devices, including devices to measure allergen in reservoir and airborne dust, and personal sampling devices, with attention to sampling rationale and major indoor allergen size and characteristics. Recent Findings While reservoir dust vacuuming samples and airborne dust volumetric air sampling remain popular techniques, recent literature describes sampling using furnace filters and ion-charging devices, both which help to eliminate the need for trained staff; however, variable correlation with reservoir dust and volumetric air sampling has been described. Personal sampling devices include intra-nasal samples and personal volumetric air samples. While these devices may offer better estimates of breathable allergens, they are worn for short periods of time and can be cumbersome. Summary Reservoir dust sampling is inexpensive and is possible for families to perform. Airborne dust sampling can be more expensive and may better quantify cat, dog, and mouse allergen exposure. Personal sampling devices may offer a better representation of breathable air.

Peanut seeds are currently widely used as source of human food ingredients in the United States of America and in European countries due to their high quality protein and oil content. This article describes the classification and molecular biology of peanut seed allergens with particular reference to their cross-reactivities. Currently, the IUIS allergen nomenclature subcommittee accepts 12 peanut allergens. Two allergens belong to the cupin and four to the prolamin superfamily, and six are distributed among profilins, Bet v 1-like proteins, oleosins, and defensins. Clinical observations frequently report an association of peanut allergy with allergies to legumes, tree nuts, seeds, fruits and pollen. Molecular cross-reactivity has been described between members of the Bet v 1-like proteins, the non-specific lipid transfer proteins, and the profilins. This review also addresses the less well-studied cross-reactivity between cupin and prolamin allergens of peanuts and of other plant food sources and the recently discovered cross-reactivity between peanut allergens of unrelated protein families.

Purpose of Review This review addresses the most recent developments on cockroach allergen research in relation to allergic diseases, especially asthma. Recent Findings The number of allergens relevant to cockroach allergy has recently expanded considerably up to 12 groups. New X-ray crystal structures of allergens from groups 1, 2, and 5 revealed interesting features with implications for allergen standardization, sensitization, diagnosis, and therapy. Summary Cockroach allergy is strongly associated with asthma particularly among children and young adults living in inner-city environments, posing challenges for disease control. Environmental interventions targeted at reducing cockroach allergen exposure have provided conflicting results. Immunotherapy may be a way to modify the natural history of cockroach allergy and decrease symptoms and asthma severity among sensitized and exposed individuals. The new information on cockroach allergens is important for the assessment of allergen markers of exposure and disease, and for the design of immunotherapy trials.

Aeroallergy results from maladaptive immune responses to ubiquitous, otherwise innocuous environmental proteins. Although the proteins targeted by aeroallergic responses represent a tiny fraction of the airborne proteins humans are exposed to, allergenicity is a quite public phenomenon-the same proteins typically behave as aeroallergens across the human population. Why particular proteins tend to act as allergens in susceptible hosts is a fundamental mechanistic question that remains largely unanswered. The main house-dust-mite allergen, Der p 2, has structural homology with MD-2 (also known as LY96), the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-binding component of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 signalling complex. Here we show that Der p 2 also has functional homology, facilitating signalling through direct interactions with the TLR4 complex, and reconstituting LPS-driven TLR4 signalling in the absence of MD-2. Mirroring this, airway sensitization and challenge with Der p 2 led to experimental allergic asthma in wild type and MD-2-deficient, but not TLR4-deficient, mice. Our results indicate that Der p 2 tends to be targeted by adaptive immune responses because of its auto-adjuvant properties. The fact that other members of the MD-2-like lipid-binding family are allergens, and that most defined major allergens are thought to be lipid-binding proteins, suggests that intrinsic adjuvant activity by such proteins and their accompanying lipid cargo may have some generality as a mechanism underlying the phenomenon of allergenicity.

Purpose of Review To critically review the evidence in favor or against the use of house dust mite (HDM) allergen avoidance measures in patients with asthma. Recent Findings Systematic reviews and meta-analyses suggested no positive effect of mite allergen avoidance strategies on asthma outcomes, resulting in a lack of consensus regarding the utility of these measures. However, such analyses have a number limitations and might not be the most adequate tool to evaluate current evidence and to derive clinical recommendations regarding mite allergen avoidance in asthmatic patients. We should not disproportionately rely on the results of meta-analyses and systematic reviews to inform clinical practice and asthma guidelines in this area. Recent high-quality evidence from randomized controlled trial in children confirmed that mite allergen–impermeable bed encasings reduce emergency hospital attendance with acute severe asthma exacerbations. Summary Until better evidence is available, we suggest that physicians should adopt a pragmatic approach to mite allergen avoidance and advise sensitized patients to implement a multifaceted set of measures to achieve as great a reduction in exposure as possible. Potential predictors of positive response (e.g., patient’s sensitization and exposure status) can pragmatically be evaluated using the size of skin test wheal or the titer of allergen-specific IgE. Finally, the intervention should be started as early as possible.

Acute allergic symptoms are caused by allergen-induced crosslinking of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) bound to Fc-epsilon receptors on effector cells. Desensitization with allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT) has been used for over a century, but the dominant protective mechanism remains unclear. One consistent observation is increased allergen-specific IgG, thought to competitively block allergen binding to IgE. Here we show that the blocking potency of the IgG response to Cat-SIT is heterogeneous. Next, using two potent, pre-selected allergen-blocking monoclonal IgG antibodies against the immunodominant cat allergen Fel d 1, we demonstrate that increasing the IgG/IgE ratio reduces the allergic response in mice and in cat-allergic patients: a single dose of blocking IgG reduces clinical symptoms in response to nasal provocation (ANCOVA, p = 0.0003), with a magnitude observed at day 8 similar to that reported with years of conventional SIT. This study suggests that simply augmenting the blocking IgG/IgE ratio may reverse allergy.