2019•European Annals of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyOpen access
House dust mite allergy and shrimp allergy: a complex interaction
Giorgio Celi, Ignazio Brusca, Enrico Scala, Danilo Villalta, Elide Anna Pastorello, Laura Farioli, Gabriele Cortellini, Gaia Deleonardi, Pietro Galati, Laura Michelina Losappio, Giuseppina Manzotti, Barbara Pirovano, L. Muratore, Francesco Murzilli, Francesco Cucinelli, Antonino Musarra, Marcello Cilia, Eleonora Nucera, Arianna Aruanno, F. Ria, Maria Francesca Patria, Elena Varin, Battista Roberto Polillo, Vittorio Sargentini, O Quercia, Carina Gabriela Uasuf, Stefania Zampogna, M. Carollo, Stefania Graci, Riccardo Asero
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Abstract
Background and objective.Sensitization and allergy to shrimp among Italian house dust mite allergic patients are not well defined and were investigated in a large multicenter study.Methods.Shrimp sensitization and allergy were assessed in 526 house dust mite (HD-M)-allergic patients submitted to the detection of IgE to Der p 10 and 100 atopic controls not sensitized to HDM.Results.Shrimp allergy occurred in 9% of patients (vs 0% of 100 atopic controls not sensitized to HDM; p < 0.001).Shrimp-allergic patients were less frequently hypersensitive to airborne allergens other than HDM than crustacean-tolerant subjects (35% vs 58.8%; p < 0.005).Only 51% of tropomyosin-sensitized patients had shrimp allergy, and these showed significantly higher Der p 10 IgE levels than shrimp-tolerant ones (mean 22.2 KU/l vs 6.2 KU/l; p < 0.05).Altogether 53% of shrimp-allergic patients did not react against tropomyosin.Conclusions.Shrimp allergy seems to occur uniquely in association with hypersensitivity to HDM allergens and tropomyosin is the main shrimp allergen but not a major one, at least in Italy.Along with tropomyosin-specific IgE levels, monosensitization to HDM seems to represent a risk factor for the development of shrimp allergy among HDM allergic patients.
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