Lakes Environmental Lakes Environmental Research Inc., Receives Landmark Patent
Working in collaboration with teams from the Czech Republic and Japan, researchers from the Institut Pasteur, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), and Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Marseille (AP-HM) have identified, for the first time, the likely origin of the cross-reactivity between cypress pollen, peaches and citrus fruits. Their work has shown that these sources contain allergens belonging to a new family of proteins involved in pollen food associated syndrome. This discovery, which was published in JACI on August 3rd, paves the way for the development of novel allergy diagnostic tests.
Today, more and more people suffer from allergies, especially in industrialized countries (where almost 30% of the population is affected). In view of this, doctors are observing an increase in cases of “pollen food associated syndrome”, or “combination” allergies, i.e. those which occur via a cross-reaction between pollen (respiratory allergies) and food (food allergies).
In Mediterranean regions, allergic reactions to cypress pollen/peach and cypress pollen/citrus fruits have been described in clinical practice. In such cases, certain people, having been exposed and sensitized to cypress pollen from a young age, go on to develop allergies to citrus fruits and peaches in adulthood. It is estimated that 60% of food allergies occur in combination with respiratory allergies.
Although several explanations had been put forward regarding the increase in these combination allergies, such as environmental or lifestyle changes, the structural basis for the cross-reaction between cypress pollen and certain fruits had, until now, not been formally identified.
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