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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
immunology and microbiology
The relevance of tick bites to the production of IgE antibodies to the mammalian oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Volume 127, No. 5, Year 2011
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Description
Background: In 2009, we reported a novel form of delayed anaphylaxis to red meat that is related to serum IgE antibodies to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal). Most of these patients had tolerated meat for many years previously. The implication is that some exposure in adult life had stimulated the production of these IgE antibodies. Objectives: We sought to investigate possible causes of this IgE antibody response, focusing on evidence related to tick bites, which are common in the region where these reactions occur. Methods: Serum assays were carried out with biotinylated proteins and extracts bound to a streptavidin ImmunoCAP. Results: Prospective studies on IgE antibodies in 3 subjects after tick bites showed an increase in levels of IgE to alpha-gal of 20-fold or greater. Other evidence included (1) a strong correlation between histories of tick bites and levels of IgE to alpha-gal (χ2 = 26.8, P < .001), (2) evidence that these IgE antibodies are common in areas where the tick Amblyomma americanum is common, and (3) a significant correlation between IgE antibodies to alpha-gal and IgE antibodies to proteins derived from A americanum (rs = 0.75, P < .001). Conclusion: The results presented here provide evidence that tick bites are a cause, possibly the only cause, of IgE specific for alpha-gal in this area of the United States. Both the number of subjects becoming sensitized and the titer of IgE antibodies to alpha-gal are striking. Here we report the first example of a response to an ectoparasite giving rise to an important form of food allergy. © 2011 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
Authors & Co-Authors
Commins, Scott P.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia Health System
James, Hayley R.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia Health System
Kelly, Libby A.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia Health System
Pochan, Shawna L.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia Health System
Workman, Lisa J.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia Health System
Perzanowski, Matthew S.
United States, New York
Mailman School of Public Health
Kocan, Katherine M.
United States, Stillwater
Oklahoma State University
Fahy, John V.
United States, San Francisco
Ucsf School of Medicine
Ng'Ang'A, Lucy W.
Kenya, Nairobi
Kenya Medical Research Institute
Ronmark, Eva
Sweden, Umea
Umeå Universitet
Cooper, Philip John
Ecuador, Quito
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
United Kingdom, Liverpool
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
Platts-Mills, Thomas A.E.
United States, Charlottesville
University of Virginia Health System
Statistics
Citations: 491
Authors: 12
Affiliations: 8
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.jaci.2011.02.019
ISSN:
00916749
Research Areas
Food Security
Study Design
Cohort Study