Peach allergy K521.1

Allergy to peaches (Prunus persica) and nectarines is one of the most common food allergies. In Mediterranean countries, Prunus persica is the most common trigger of plant food allergies.

Pru p 3: Peach allergy sufferers are > 80% sensitized by the lipid transfer protein Pru 3. The sensitization is primarily gastrointestinal, probably through consumption of ripe peaches. Pru p 3 is a heat and acid stable " lipid transfer protein". Pru p 3 can be detected in the skin area in 7 times higher activity than in the fruit flesh. Therefore, allergy sufferers can often eat peeled fruits without allergic reactions. Due to its high IgE reactivity and cross-reactive properties Pru p 3 is considered as a biomarker for a general sensitization against members of the lipid transfer protein family. However, about 50% of the sensitizations are biologically not relevant. Systemic reactions are rather rare in Northern and Central Europe and more frequent in the Mediterranean region (especially Italy, Spain and Portugal).

Pru p 1: Peach allergies caused by pru p 1 frequently occur in the form of an oral allergy syndrome (OAS). In this form of fruit allergy the peach is the second most common trigger after the apple. In this case a cross-reaction to the birch pollen major allergen Bet-v-1 and other profilins takes place.

Pru p 7: is a 6.9 kDa "gibberellin-related protein" whose allergenicity has only recently been discovered.

For molecular allergy dianostics the following allergens are sequenced in a defined way:

• Pru p 1 pathogenesis-related protein, PR-10 protein, member of the Bet v 1 family, causes mainly oral complaints. Cross-allergy in the context of birch pollen-associated food allergies.
• Pru p 2 Thaumatin-like protein
• Pru p 3 Non-specific lipid transfer protein 1 (nsLTP1); Major allergen; allergy causes systemic reactions.
• Pru p 4 Profilin
• Pru p 7 Gibberellin-regulated protein (see gibberellins below)

1. Kleine-Tebbe J et al (2010) Allergen families and molecular diagnostics of IgE-mediated food galleries: from theory to practice. Allergo J 19: 251-263
2. Guideline of the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI): In Vitro Diagnostics and Molecular Basis of IgE-mediated Food Allergies
3. Romano et al (2009) Allergy to peanut lipid transfer protein (LTP): frequency and cross-reactivity between peanut and peach LTP. Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol 41: 106-111
4. Asero et al (2007) Rice: another potential cause of food allergy in patients sensitized to lipid transfer protein. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 143: 69-74