Specificity to ovomucoid domains of human serum antibody from allergic patients: comparison with anti-ovomucoid antibody from laboratory animals.

The reactivity of IgG and IgE antibodies from egg allergy patients to ovomucoid and its domain fragments was examined quantitatively, and compared with that of rabbit and mouse IgG anti-ovomucoid antibodies. The human antibodies reacted with the carbohydrate-containing domain fragments more strongly than the animal antibodies. In contrast, the human antibodies did not react with the carbohydrate-free third domain, whereas the animal antibodies definitely reacted. These results suggested that the sites and structures recognized by allergic individuals as ovomucoid antigenic determinants are not necessarily the same as those recognized by laboratory animals.