Freezing does not alter antigenic properties of fresh fruits for skin testing in patients with birch tree pollen-induced oral allergy syndrome.

摘要

The oral allergy syndrome (OAS) describes an allergic reaction that occurs on ingestion of certain fresh fruits and vegetables in pollen-sensitized subjects. The culprit allergens found in associated fresh foods are rapidly inactivated by digestion and cooking. As a result, symptoms are usually limited to the mouth and throat and preferably observed with raw forms of the food. When evaluating patients with OAS, skin prick tests (SPTs) with commercial extracts will often yield negative responses because the allergens are thought to be altered in the fabrication process of food extracts.1'2 Specific serum IgE (ssIgE) assays are also of limited value,3 and although recombinant allergens appear to be promising, they are not yet widely available.