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Case Report
 

Identification of a 27 kDa Protein in Patients With Anaphylactic Reactions,to Mango
 

R Renner,1 C Hipler,² R Treudler,1 W Harth,3 A Süß,1 JC Simon1

1 Clinic for Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
2Clinic of Dermatology and Dermatologic Allergology, Friedrich-Schiller-University of Jena, Jena, Germany
3Clinic for Skin Diseases, Vivantes Hospital, Berlin Friedrichshain, Academic Teaching Hospital of the Charité Medical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany

J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2008; Vol. 18(6): 476-481
 

 Abstract


Mango fruit has become increasingly popular in recent years. We report on 2 patients who developed anaphylactic reactions after the ingestion of fresh mango. Allergy to mango was confirmed by a positive skin prick test result and positive cellular allergen stimulation
test results. Neither of the patients had detectable mango-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels. Results were validated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis immunoblotting and analyzed using Quantiscan. We identified 2 majorallergens with a molecular weight of 27 kDa in both patients, in addition to a 15 kDa allergen in 1 patient and a 32 kDa allergen in the other. Currently available
IgE systems seem to be lacking these mango allergens and as such are probably unsuitable for diagnosing type 1 sensitization to mango.
Skin prick testing with fresh mango fruit therefore seems to be a much more reliable test method for clinical practice.

Key words: Mango. Anaphylaxis. Cross-reactivity. Pollen-associated food allergy.