Sensitization from chestnuts and bananas in patients with urticaria and anaphylaxis from contact with latex
Fernández de Corres, L.; Moneo, I.; Muñoz, D.; Bernaola, G.; Fernández, E.; Audicana, M.; Urrutia, I.
Annals of Allergy 70(1): 35-39
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0003-4738 PMID: 7678724 Document Number: 412201
The cases are described of 8 patients (7 women, 1 man) allergic to latex and fruit (chestnut and banana) and aged 17 to 42 years (mean 25 years). 4 had family and 5 personal atopic histories. The total immunoglobulin (Ig)E varied from 41 to 520 Ku/litre (mean 263). The symptoms followed ingestion of fruit (anaphylaxis) in 4 patients and contact with rubber (contact urticaria and anaphylaxis) in the other 4. Skin prick test (SPT) with latex and radioallergosorbent test to latex were positive in all patients. Histamine release (HR) to latex was carried out on 6 patients and was positive in 3. In the 6 patients with symptoms after having eaten chestnuts the SPT was positive and specific IGE was detected in 5 of them. Histamine release to chestnuts was positive in 3 of the 6 patients tested and 1 of them (-SPT and + IgE) tolerated the fruit. 2 of 5 patients with symptomatic banana allergy had negative SPT with banana while the test was positive in 1 patient who tolerated this fruit, this being the only case with specific IgE to banana. Histamine release with banana was only positive in 1 case. The important correlation between SPT, radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and HR results against latex and chestnut, together with the total inhibition of the chestnut RAST by a latex extract suggests cross-reactivity among these allergens.