What is cross-reactivity in allergies?
Cross-reactivity in allergic reactions occurs when the proteins in one substance (typically pollen) are similar to the proteins found in another substance (typically a food). For example, if you are allergic to birch tree pollen, you may also find that eating apples causes a reaction for you.
What is an allergen cross contact?
Cross-contact occurs when an allergen is inadvertently transferred from a food containing an allergen to a food that does not contain the allergen. Cooking does not reduce or eliminate the chances of a person with a food allergy having a reaction to the food eaten.
What does high cross-reactivity mean?
Cross-reactivity measures the extent to which different antigens appear similar to the immune system. The molecular determinants of specificity and cross-reactivity define the nature of antigenic variation and the selective processes that shape the distribution of variants in populations.
What are 4 examples of cross contact?
Baking cookies on a baking tray and then using it to bake dairy-free cookies. Using the same tongs to handle fish as you use to handle vegetables. Failing to wash your hands after handling nuts. Using a knife to spread peanut butter, not cleaning it properly, and then using it to spread jam.
Which area is most likely to contribute to allergen cross contact?
One of the most common modes of cross contact occurs through our hands. Unwashed hands or a failure to apply new gloves during recipe preparation can quickly spread contaminants from food to food. Even if your gloves or hands look clean, hidden contaminates can linger on the surface.
How do you test cross-reactivity?
A quick and easy check for antibody cross reactivity is to assess the percentage homology of the antibody immunogen to that of other similar proteins. This can be achieved by pair-wise sequence alignment using NCBI-BLAST.
What is a birch-cross allergic reaction?
Oral allergy syndrome is local throat and lip itching that happens within a few minutes of eating a birch-cross-reacting food. This is different from an anaphylactic reaction, which would involve swelling of the throat and mouth needing emergency intervention.
What is cross-reactivity in food allergies?
Cross-reactivity occurs when the proteins in one substance are like the proteins in another. As a result, the immune system sees them as the same. In the case of food allergies, cross-reactivity can occur between one food and another.
What is a food allergy?
A food allergy occurs when the immune system overreacts to a food. The most common type is when the immune system makes a type of antibody called IgE to proteins in a particular food. This is an IgE-mediated food allergy.
What are the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction?
Symptoms include any or several of the following: skin itching, hives, swelling of the skin, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulty (wheezing, repeated throat clearing, cough, throat tightness), or anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and progressive.