A case of anaphylaxis due to fish collagen in a gummy candy

• Published in: Allergology International Vol. 69; no. 1; pp. 146 - 147
• Main Authors: Abe, Namiko, Ito, Tomonobu, Kobayashi, Tomoko, Egusa, Chizu, Maeda, Tatsuo, Okubo, Yukari, Tsuboi, Ryoji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier B.V 01.01.2020; JAPANESE SOCIETY OF ALLERGOLOGY
• ISSN: 1323-8930; 1440-1592
• DOI: 10.1016/j.alit.2019.05.011

Dear Editor, Fish collagen peptides have recently been used as an ingredient in various foods and supplements for their putative benefits for beauty and health. We present herein a rare case of anaphylaxis due to fish collagen in a gummy candy. An otherwise healthy, 25-year-old Japanese female had recurrent episodes of anaphylaxis shock after eating a gummy candy containing artificial fruit flavor and fish collagen. After treatment at the emergency room in a hospital, she visited our hospital to determine the cause of her allergy. Her medical history did not have atopic dermatitis and hand eczema but her past-history, she experienced anaphylaxis after eating grilled fish but not after eating raw fish before. Total IgE was 153IU/ml and specific IgE values were as follows: gelatin (0Ua/mL, class 0), tuna (2.23Ua/mL, class 2), cod (0.55Ua/mL, class 1), turbot (0.40Ua/mL, class 1), anisakis (0Ua/mL, class 0), pork (0Ua/mL, class 0) and beef (0Ua/mL, class 0). A prick-to-prick test was performed as previously reported using 10mg/ml of histamine as a positive control and saline as a negative control.