BACKGROUND

Peach allergy has two different patterns: central Europe with oral allergy syndrome (OAS) related to a primary sensitization to birch pollen Bet v 1 and profilins and southern Europe with mostly systemic symptoms, in many cases due to sensitization to lipid-transfer proteins.

METHODS

Thirty peach-allergic patients with positive skin and food challenge tests and 29 control subjects were included. Skin prick tests (SPT) with inhalant allergens, commercial peach and apple extracts and native Pru p 3 were performed. In vitro specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E to grass pollen, birch pollen, peach, apple, rBet v 1, rBet v 2 and rPhl p 12 was determined by CAP, and rBet v 1, rMal d 1, rMal d 4, rMal d 3 and rPru p 3 using the ADVIA-Centaur platform. Basophil activation test (BAT) with commercial peach extract, commercial apple extract, nPru p 3, rMal d 3, rMal d 1 and rMal d 4 was also performed.

RESULTS

Pru p 3 was the major allergen in the patient group from northern Spain. Sensitization to this allergen was found in 100% of the patients with systemic symptoms or contact urticaria. Only 60% of OAS patients were sensitized to Pru p 3, being all of them sensitized to profilins and 60% of them to allergens of the Bet v 1 family. Specific IgE determination and BAT using recombinant allergens (rPru p 3) show specificity and sensitivity values close to 100%.

CONCLUSIONS

Most peach-allergic patients coming from the north of Spain present systemic symptoms after ingestion of peach, Pru p 3 being the main allergen. Patients with OAS present profilin-Bet v 1-related sensitization. Thus, in the north of Spain our patients show a mixed central-south Europe pattern with LTP-profilin-Bet v 1 sensitization depending on the symptoms presented. The use of natural and recombinant plant allergens, allows establishing the sensitization patterns to the different allergens studied.