How is food cross-reactivity?

➢ Cross-reactivity Individuals with allergies may react to substances that contain particles that are similar to the main antigen. Examples (primary allergen – cross-reactant allergen) • Bird dander – egg yolk [The Bird –Egg Syndrome] • Pollen – various foods [oral allergy syndrome; OAS] • (e.g., apple, hazelnut, carrot, kiwi, apricots, peaches) • Mites – crustaceans • Latex – exotic fruits (e.g., banana, avocado, kiwi) • Cat dander – pork ➢ Food allergies make up the majority of allergies today. ➢ Food allergies occur in 1-2% of adults and in 8% of children under 6 years of age Sx (skin, GI, RT, severe anaphylaxis 50%) Typically IgE mediated but some are non or mixed (up to 2 hours from food ingestion, some have prolonged effect)