High correlation of specific IgE sensitization between birch pollen, soy and apple allergens indicates pollen-food allergy syndrome among birch pollen allergic patients in northern China

Hao et al. / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci B (Biomed & Biotechnol) 2016 17(5):399-404 399 Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology) ISSN 1673-1581 (Print); ISSN 1862-1783 (Online) www.zju.edu.cn/jzus; www.springerlink.com E-mail: High correlation of specific IgE sensitization between birch pollen, soy and apple allergens indicates pollen-food allergy syndrome among birch pollen allergic patients in northern China Guo-dong HAO1, Yi-wu ZHENG†‡2, Zhi-xiang WANG1, Xing-ai KONG1, Zhi-jing SONG1, Xu-xin LAI2, Michael D. SPANGFORT2 (1Department of Allergy, Tangshan Gongren Hospital, Tangshan 063000, China) (2ALK China Research, ALK, Guangzhou 510300, China) † E-mail: Received Nov. 11, 2015; Revision accepted Jan. 17, 2016; Crosschecked Apr. 15, 2016 Abstract: Background: Birch pollen sensitization and associated pollen-food syndrome among Chinese allergic patients have not been investigated. Methods: Sera from 203 allergic patients from the northern part of China and collected during February to July 2014 were investigated. Specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) against birch pollen extract Bet v and major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 were measured using the ADVIA Centaur. The presence of major apple allergen Mal d 1 and soy bean allergen Gly m 4 specific IgE was measured by ImmunoCAP 100. Results: Among the 203 sera, 34 sera (16.7%) had specific IgE to Bet v and of these, 28 sera (82.4%) contained Bet v 1-specific IgE. Among the 28 sera with Bet v 1-specific IgE, 27 sera (96.4%) contained Mal d 1-specific IgE and 22 sera (78.6%) contained Gly m 4-specific IgE. Of the 34 Bet v-positive sera, 6 sera (17.6%) contained no specific IgE for Bet v 1, Mal d 1, or Gly m 4. Almost all Bet v-positive sera were donated during the birch pollen season. Conclusions: The prevalence of birch allergy among patients visiting health care during pollen season can be as high as 16.7% in Tangshan City. The majority of Chinese birch allergic patients are IgE-sensitized to the major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 as well as to the major apple allergen Mal d 1 and soy bean allergen Gly m 4. A relatively high number of patients (17.6%) are IgE-sensitized to birch pollen allergen(s) other than Bet v 1. The high prevalence of specific IgE to Mal d 1 and Gly m 4 among Bet v 1-sensitized patients indicates that pollen-food allergy syndrome could be of clinical relevance in China. Key words: Apple, Birch, Cross-reaction, Pollen-food allergy, Soy, Specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) http://dx.doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1500279 CLC number: R593.2 1 Introduction Birch trees, Betula, grow in the temperate climate zone of the northern hemisphere and release large amounts of pollen during spring. Exposure to birch pollen allergens is a major reason of allergic rhinitis in Europe and one of the most frequent triggers of respiratory disease among European patients ‡ Corresponding author ORCID: Yi-wu ZHENG, http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2898-7842 © Zhejiang University and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2016 (Eriksson et al., 1998; Kampe et al., 2010; Caillaud et al., 2014). Birch pollen allergy and sensitization have not been as well studied in China mainly due to lack of specific diagnostic reagents. The major allergen of birch pollen is a 17-kDa protein called Bet v 1 (Ipsen and Løwenstein, 1983; Gajhede et al., 1996). Although European birch allergic patients may occasionally react to other allergens, in birch-rich areas of Scandinavia over 95% of birch pollen allergic patients display immunoglobulin E (IgE)-binding to Bet v 1, while over 60% react exclusively to this allergen (Movérare et al., 2002). 400 Hao et al. / J Zhejiang Univ-Sci B (Biomed & Biotechnol) 2016 17(5):399-404 Up to 70% of birch pollen allergic individuals who experience seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis and/or asthma report having mucosal symptoms after consuming raw fruits and vegetables (Hofmann and Burks, 2008). The symptoms from this so called pollen-food allergy syndrome are often mild and self-resolving (Ma et al., 2003). However, severe systemic effects have been reported and can occur upon food consumption outside the pollen season (Katelaris, 2010; Rashid et al., 2011). The immunologic basis for the clinical reactions is considered to be due to cross-reacting IgE antibodies that are specific to birch pollen allergens, in particular Bet v 1, but that can also recognize Bet v 1-homologous allergens from fruits and vegetables (Holm et al., 2001; Mittag et al., 2004; Tolkki et al., 2013). In a study evaluating severe oral allergy syndrome and anaphylactic reactions caused by a Bet v 1-related protein in soy bean (Glycine max), Gly m 4/SAM22, immediate-type allergic symptoms in patients with birch pollen allergy after ingestion of soy proteincontaining food items were reported to occur (KleineTebbe et al., 2002). Birch pollen sensitization and pollen-food allergy syndrome are believed to be common in northern China. However, due to the lack of diagnostic tools and specific reagents, the prevalence of birch pollen sensitization has seldom been reported and the specific IgE correlation between birch pollen and food/vegetable allergens in China has not been investigated in detail. In this retrospective study, we investigated the prevalence and correlations of birch pollen extract and major birch allergen sensitization as well as the specific IgE correlation with the major apple allergen Mal d 1 and soy bean allergen Gly m 4. The study was performed using sera collected from allergic patients in the city of Tangshan (China). 2 Materials and methods There were 203 subjects included in this study (5–66 years old) with a clinical history of allergic rhinitis/asthma. The subjects attended the Department of Allergy, Tangshan Gongren Hospital (Tangshan, China), from February to July 2014. The city of Tangshan is approximately 149 km east by southeast of Beijing with a population of 7.5 million inhabitants located in the northeastern Hebei Province. All subjects donated blood for specific IgE tests and serum samples were stored at −20 °C before measurement. All subjects or guardians provided informed consent. Specific IgE concentrations against birch pollen extract Bet v and major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1 were measured using the ADVIA Centaur (Siemens Medical Solutions, Diagnostics, NY, USA). The allergens, calibrators, controls, and universal reagent packs were from ALK (Hørsholm, Denmark). Major apple recombinant allergen rMal d 1 and soy bean recombinant allergen rGly m 4 specific IgE were measured by the ImmunoCAP 100 fluorescence enzyme immunoassay system (Thermo Fisher, Uppsala, Sweden). The Centaur system was calibrated against ImmunoCAP. The specific IgE results of ADVIA Centaur and ImmunoCAP 100 have been shown to be comparable (Petersen et al., 2004). A cut-off value of 0.35 kU/L for specific IgE was regarded as a positive result (<0.35 kU/L, Class 0; 0.35–0.7 kU/L, Class 1; 0.7–3.5 kU/L, Class 2; 3.5–17.5 kU/L, Class (...truncated)