The importance of early peanut ingestion in the prevention of peanut allergy.

Peanut allergy appears to have increased in prevalence, is often severe and is typically life-long. Therefore, reducing its incidence through a primary prevention strategy is a priority. Guidelines on peanut introduction have evolved with time and given evidence of peanut allergy risk reduction with early infant ingestion exposure, the current US advice promotes early introduction for infants, particularly targeting those […]

Effect of Epicutaneous Immunotherapy vs Placebo on Reaction to Peanut Protein Ingestion Among Children With Peanut Allergy: The PEPITES Randomized Clinical Trial.

IMPORTANCE: There are currently no approved treatments for peanut allergy. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and adverse events of epicutaneous immunotherapy with a peanut patch among peanut-allergic children. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted at 31 sites in 5 countries between January 8, 2016, and August 18, 2017. Participants included […]

Mouse strain differences in response to oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy.

BACKGROUND: Promising therapies for food allergy are emerging, mostly based on animal experimentation. However, different mouse strains are used, which may make it hard to compare experiments. The current study investigated whether the immunological differences between C3H/HeOuJ (C3H) and BALB/c mice lead to differences in efficacy of peanut-specific immunotherapy. METHODS: After sensitization using peanut extract […]

A critical review of the specifications and performance of antibody and DNA-based methods for detection and quantification of allergens in foods.

Despite the availability of a large number of antibody and DNA based methods for detection and quantification of allergens in food there remain significant difficulties in selecting the optimum technique to employ. Published methods from research groups mostly contain sufficient detail concerning target antigen, calibration procedures and method performance to allow replication by others. However, […]

Age at introduction to complementary solid food and food allergy and sensitization: a systematic review and meta‐analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: An infant's age at introduction of complementary solids may contribute to food allergy. We aimed to synthesize the literature on the association between age at introduction of complementary solids, excluding milk products, and food allergy and sensitization. DESIGN: We searched the electronic databases PubMed and EMBASE (January 1946-February 2017) using solid food, […]

Epicutaneous peanut patch device for the treatment of peanut allergy.

Food allergy prevalence has increased in recent decades, which has mobilized efforts to develop treatment alternatives. Epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT) is a novel method that involves transdermal administration of peanut allergen with the objective to induce tolerance. Recent clinical trials have shown its efficacy at increasing the eliciting dose in children with a favorable safety profile. Areas covered: […]

Evidence for a Role of TGF-β-Activated Kinase 1 and MAP3K7 Binding Protein 3 in Peanut-Specific T-Cell Responses.

Peanut allergy is considered to be the most common cause for food-induced anaphylaxis. Currently, no approved treatment is available. Avoidance is the only measure to prevent anaphylactic reactions to peanuts. T-helper cells are of special importance for the sensitization process and the maintenance of allergic inflammation. Identifying markers of allergen-specific T-cell responses may help to develop […]

Microbial Adjuncts for Food Allergen Immunotherapy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Food allergen immunotherapy may benefit from adjunct therapies to enhance safety and efficacy. We review preclinical studies investigating the effects of probiotics and other microbial-based interventions on oral tolerance, describe the human clinical trial evidence thus far for microbial adjuncts, and discuss steps for translating research findings in this area to clinical […]

Lipophilic allergens, different modes of allergen-lipid interaction and their impact on asthma and allergy.

Molecular allergology research has provided valuable information on the structure and function of single allergenic molecules. There are several allergens in food and inhalant allergen sources that are able to interact with lipid ligands via different structural features: hydrophobic pockets, hydrophobic cavities, or specialized domains. For only a few of these allergens information on their associated ligands […]