Dataset Information

Investigation into the ?-Gal Syndrome: Characteristics of 261 Children and Adults Reporting Red Meat Allergy.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Red meat allergy has historically been understood as a rare disease of atopic children, but the discovery of the "?-Gal syndrome," which relates to IgE to the oligosaccharide galactose-?-1,3-galactose (?-Gal), has challenged that notion. OBJECTIVE:To describe the clinical and immunologic characteristics of a large group of subjects with self-reported allergy to mammalian meat. METHODS:This was an observational study of 261 children and adults (range, 5-82 years) who presented for evaluation for allergic reactions to mammalian meat. Results were based on serum assays and a detailed questionnaire. RESULTS:?-Gal specific IgE ? 0.35 IU/mL was detected in 245 subjects and symptom onset occurred ?2 hours after eating mammalian meat in 211 (81%). Component testing supported a diagnosis of ?-Gal syndrome in 95%, pork-cat syndrome in 1.9%, and primary beef allergy in 1.1%. Urticaria was reported by 93%, anaphylaxis by 60%, and gastrointestinal symptoms by 64%. Levels of IgE and IgG specific to ?-Gal were similar in subjects who reported early- or delayed-onset symptoms, and in those with and without anaphylaxis. Levels of ?-Gal specific IgE and severity of reactions were similar among those with and without traditional atopy, and among children (n = 35) and adults (n = 226). Blood group B trended toward being under-represented among ?-Gal-sensitized subjects; however, ?-Gal specific IgE titers were high in symptomatic cases with B-antigen. CONCLUSIONS:The ?-Gal syndrome is a regionally common form of food allergy that has a characteristic but not universal delay in symptom onset, includes gastrointestinal symptoms, can develop at any time in life, and is equally common in otherwise nonatopic individuals.

SUBMITTER: Wilson JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6993919 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep - Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Investigation into the α-Gal Syndrome: Characteristics of 261 Children and Adults Reporting Red Meat Allergy.

Wilson Jeffrey M JM Schuyler Alexander J AJ Workman Lisa L Gupta Monica M James Hayley R HR Posthumus Jonathon J McGowan Emily C EC Commins Scott P SP Platts-Mills Thomas A E TAE

The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice 20190330 7

<h4>Background</h4>Red meat allergy has historically been understood as a rare disease of atopic children, but the discovery of the "α-Gal syndrome," which relates to IgE to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal), has challenged that notion.<h4>Objective</h4>To describe the clinical and immunologic characteristics of a large group of subjects with self-reported allergy to mammalian meat.<h4>Methods</h4>This was an observational study of 261 children and adults (range, 5-82 years) ...[more]

PMID: 30940532

Similar Datasets

Project description:IntroductionAlpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is characterized by delayed hypersensitivity to non-primate mammalian meat in people having specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) to the oligosaccharide galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose. AGS has been linked to tick bites from Amblyomma americanum (Aa) in the U.S. A small animal model of meat allergy is needed to study the mechanism of alpha-gal sensitization, the effector phase leading to delayed allergic responses and potential therapeutics to treat AGS.MethodsEight- to ten-weeks old mice with a targeted inactivation of alpha-1,3-galactosyltransferase (AGKO) were injected intradermally with 50 μg of Aa tick salivary gland extract (TSGE) on days 0, 7, 21, 28, 42, and 49. Total IgE and alpha-gal sIgE were quantitated on Day 56 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Mice were challenged orally with 400 mg of cooked pork kidney homogenate or pork fat. Reaction severity was assessed by measuring a drop in core body temperature and scoring allergic signs.ResultsCompared to control animals, mice treated with TSGE had 190-fold higher total IgE on Day 56 (0.60 ± 0.12 ng/ml vs. 113.2 ± 24.77 ng/ml; p < 0.001). Alpha-gal sIgE was also produced in AGKO mice following TSGE sensitization (undetected vs. 158.4 ± 72.43 pg/ml). Further, sensitized mice displayed moderate clinical allergic signs along with a drop in core body temperature of ≥2°C as an objective measure of a systemic allergic reaction. Interestingly, female mice had higher total IgE responses to TSGE treatment but male mice had larger declines in mean body temperature.ConclusionTSGE-sensitized AGKO mice generate sIgE to alpha-gal and demonstrate characteristic allergic responses to pork fat and pork kidney. In keeping with the AGS responses documented in humans, mice reacted more rapidly to organ meat than to high fat pork challenge. This mouse model establishes the central role of tick bites in the development of AGS and provides a small animal model to mechanistically study mammalian meat allergy.

Dataset Information

Investigation into the ?-Gal Syndrome: Characteristics of 261 Children and Adults Reporting Red Meat Allergy.

Publications

Investigation into the α-Gal Syndrome: Characteristics of 261 Children and Adults Reporting Red Meat Allergy.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets