Peanut allergy–individual molecules as a key to precision medicine.

Peanut allergy is one of the most severe food allergies affecting millions of individuals worldwide. In German-speaking countries, peanutallergy is the most important cause of anaphylaxis in children and adolescents. This Editorial highlights the impact of individual peanutallergens on the severity of symptoms and summarizes the allergens' biological characteristics and usefulness as tools for precision diagnostic tests.

Food Allergy: A Comprehensive Population-Based Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence and temporal trends of food allergies. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We performed a historical cohort study to describe the epidemiology of food allergies among residents of all ages in Olmsted County, Minnesota, during a 10-year period from January 2, 2002, through December 31, 2011, using the Rochester Epidemiology Project database. Overall […]

Release of Major Peanut Allergens from Their Matrix under Various pH and Simulated Saliva Conditions—Ara h2 and Ara h6 Are Readily Bio-Accessible.

The oral mucosa is the first immune tissue that encounters allergens upon ingestion of food. We hypothesized that the bio-accessibility of allergens at this stage may be a key determinant for sensitization. Light roasted peanut flour was suspended at various pH in buffers mimicking saliva. Protein concentrations and allergens profiles were determined in the supernatants. […]

Tree nut allergens.

Tree nuts are considered as part of a healthy diet due to their high nutritional quality. However, they are also a potent source of allergenic proteins inducing IgE mediated hypersensitivity often causing serious, life-threatening reactions. The reported prevalence of tree nut allergy is up to 4.9% worldwide. The general term "tree nuts" comprises a number […]

Evidence of Cross-Reactivity between Different Seed Storage Proteins from Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) and Walnut (Juglans regia) Using Recombinant Allergen Proteins.

Seed storage proteins are extremely stable allergens in nuts, seeds, and legumes and are responsible for the most severe allergic reactions to these foods. The cross-reactivity between seed storage proteins from different sources has not been studied at a molecular level so far. This study aimed to ascertain the cross-reactivity between walnut and hazelnut seed storage proteins […]

Quantitative Risk Reduction Through Peanut Immunotherapy: Safety Benefits of an Increased Threshold in Europe.

BACKGROUND: The clinical relevance of increasing an allergic individual's peanut sensitivity threshold by immunotherapy, i.e., eliciting dose (ED) to 300 or 1000 mg peanut protein, has not been previously characterized in a European population. In this study, we quantify the clinical benefits of an increased threshold of reaction following immunotherapy for the peanut-allergic individual. METHODS: […]

Development and Evaluation of a Real-Time PCR Multiplex Assay for the Detection of Allergenic Peanut Using Chloroplast DNA Markers.

Peanut is one of the most commonly consumed allergy-causing foods in the United States. Prevention of accidental consumption by allergic individuals is assisted by methods that effectively identify the presence of peanut in food, even at trace levels. This study presents a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay that uses chloroplast markers (matK, rpl16, and trnH-psbA) to […]

Dietary Supplementation with Non‐Digestible Oligosaccharides Reduces Allergic Symptoms and Supports Low Dose Oral Immunotherapy in a Peanut Allergy Mouse Model.

SCOPE: A major downside of oral immunotherapy (OIT) for food allergy is the risk of severe side-effects. Non-digestible short- and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS/lcFOS), reduced allergy development in murine models. We therefor hypothesized that scFOS/lcFOS can also support the efficacy of OIT in a peanut allergy model. METHODS AND RESULTS: After sensitization to peanut extract (PE) […]