A case of allergy to beer showing cross-reactivity between lipid transfer proteins

• Published in: Annals of allergy, asthma, & immunology Vol. 87; no. 1; p. 65
• Main Authors: Asero, R, Mistrello, G, Roncarolo, D, Amato, S, van Ree, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2001
• Subjects: Adult; Beer - adverse effects; Carrier Proteins - immunology; Cross Reactions - immunology; Food Hypersensitivity - blood; Food Hypersensitivity - etiology; Humans; Immunoglobulin E - blood; Male
• ISSN: 1081-1206
• DOI: 10.1016/S1081-1206(10)62325-3

Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are highly conserved proteins present in a broad spectrum of fruits and vegetables that might represent a novel plant panallergen. To demonstrate that LTP is an important allergen in beer and that beer LTP cross-reacts with LTP from botanically unrelated plant-derived foods. Serum from a patient with clinical allergy to both beer and Rosaceae was studied for IgE reactivity to LTP to several vegetable foods by RAST, ELISA, immunoblot, and inhibition studies. Patient's serum showed a strong IgE reactivity to LTP purified from peach peel, carrot, and broccoli, and to a 10 kD protein in both apple and peach immunoblots, whereas no reactivity to birch cross-reactive allergens such as Bet v 1, profilin, or carbohydrates was found. In inhibition studies, preabsorption of serum with apple, walnut, hazelnut, peanut, corn, and rice caused a fall of 97%, 20%, 66%, 91%, 94%, and 93%, respectively, of its reactivity to peach LTP. Beer RAST fell from 1.8 IU/mL to <0.1 IU/mL when a patient's serum was preabsorbed with recombinant carrot LTP. LTP is a relevant allergen in beer. Beer LTP may cross-react with LTP from several other plant-derived foods.