Seafood allergy and allergens: a review

• Published in: Marine biotechnology (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 339 - 348
• Main Authors: Lehrer, S B, Ayuso, R, Reese, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Springer Nature B.V 01.07.2003
• Subjects: Allergens; Allergies; Epitopes - genetics; Food allergies; Food Hypersensitivity - immunology; Humans; Immunoglobulin E - genetics; Immunoglobulin E - metabolism; Invertebrates; Mollusks; Mutation; Mutation - immunology; Seafood; Seafood - adverse effects; Seafood - utilization; Shellfish; Studies; Tropomyosin - immunology; Tropomyosin - metabolism; United States; United States
• ISSN: 1436-2228; 1436-2236
• DOI: 10.1007/s10126-002-0082-1

Seafoods are composed of diverse sea organisms and humans are allergic to many of them. Tropomyosin is a major allergen in many shellfish, especially crustacea and mollusks. Interestingly, tropomyosin has also been identified as an important allergen in other invertebrates including dust mites and cockroaches, and it has been proposed by some to be an invertebrate pan allergen. Different regions of shrimp tropomyosin bind IgE; 5 major IgE-binding regions have been identified in shrimp tropomyosin containing 8 epitopes. Mutations of these shrimp allergenic epitopes can reduce seafood allergenicity; methods utilizing such mutations will provide safer vaccines for more effective treatment of seafood-allergic patients, and in the future less-allergenic seafood products for consumption.