The natural history of shrimp hypersensitivity

• Published in: Journal of allergy and clinical immunology Vol. 86; no. 1; pp. 88 - 93
• Main Authors: Daul, Carolyn Beach, Morgan, Jane E., Lehrer, Samuel B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01.07.1990; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adult; alergenos; alergia alimentaria; allergene; allergens; Allergens - immunology; allergie alimentaire; analysis; Animals; antibodies; Antibody Specificity; Antibody Specificity - immunology; anticorps; anticuerpos; Biological and medical sciences; camaron de mar; crevette; Decapoda; Decapoda (Crustacea); Decapoda (Crustacea) - immunology; diet; dieta; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; etiology; food allergies; Food Hypersensitivity; Food Hypersensitivity - etiology; Food Hypersensitivity - immunology; Humans; hypersensitivity; immunoglobulin A; Immunoglobulin A - analysis; immunoglobulin E; Immunoglobulin E - analysis; immunoglobulin G; Immunoglobulin G - analysis; immunoglobulin M; Immunoglobulin M - analysis; immunoglobuline; immunoglobulins; immunology; Immunopathology; inmunoglobulina; Marine; Medical sciences; prawns; Prospective Studies; reacciones alergicas; reaction allergique; regime alimentaire; shrimp; Skin Tests; Time Factors; Human; Immunopathology; Allergy; IgE; Exploration; Feeding; Macrura; Crustacea; Follow up study; Immunological investigation; Arthropoda; Decapoda; Invertebrata; Skin test
• ISSN: 0091-6749
• DOI: 10.1016/S0091-6749(05)80127-7

Sera collected sequentially during a 24-month interval from 11 individuals with shrimp hypersensitivity and 10 nonhypersensitive control subjects were evaluated for shrimp-specific IgE, IgG, IgM, and IgA reactivity. Shrimp-hypersensitive subjects underwent double-blind, placebo-controlled shrimp challenges; seven exhibited positive challenges, and four subjects reported the subjective symptom of oropharyngeal pruritus. Shrimp-specific IgE levels in all subjects were relatively constant during the 24 months of this study and not affected by shrimp challenge, although some fluctuation in the shrimp-specific IgG, IgM, and IgA reactivity were noted, apparently unrelated to shrimp. challenge. Shrimp-specific IgE and IgG, but not IgM and IgA, were significantly higher in the group with shrimp hypersensitivity as compared to the control subjects. Moreover, the challenge-positive subjects had higher levels of both shrimp-specific IgE and IgG than subjects reporting pruritus. The levels of shrimp-specific IgG correlated directly with shrimp-specific IgE reactivity. These studies indicate that serum levels of shrimp-specific IgE are significantly elevated in shrimp-hypersensitive subjects who exhibit positive food challenges, and these baseline levels did not appear to be altered long term by isolated shrimp challenge. Furthermore, baseline shrimp-specitif antibody (IgG, IgM, and IgA) levels noted in normal subjects were not markedly affected by frequent ingestion of shrimp.