Mm Verweij

Component‐resolved diagnosis from latex allergy by microarray

Background A positive specific IgE (sIgE) result for latex does not always mirror the clinical situation and is frequently found in individuals without overt latex allergy.

Age-related sensitization profiles for hazelnut (Corylus avellana) in a birch-endemic region.

To cite this article: De Knop KJ, Verweij MM, Grimmelikhuijsen M, Philipse E, Hagendorens MM, Bridts CH, De Clerck LS, Stevens WJ, Ebo DG. Age‐related sensitization profiles for hazelnut (Corylus avellana) in a birch‐endemic region. Pediatr Allergy Immunol 2011; 22: e139–e149.

Sensitization profiles in birch pollen-allergic patients with and without oral allergy syndrome to apple: lessons from multiplexed component-resolved allergy diagnosis

Background Component‐resolved diagnosis (CRD) using microarray technology has recently been introduced into the field of clinical allergology.

Component-Resolved Allergy Diagnosis by Microarray: Potential, Pitfalls, and Prospects

Diagnosis of IgE-mediated allergies is not always straightforward, as traditional tests can yield equivocal or negative results and provocation tests are hampered by several practical and ethical limitations. During the last decades two new in vitro techniques have entered the field of allergy diagnosis, that is, flow-assisted analysis of allergen-specific activated basophils and component-resolved diagnosis (CRD). This review focuses on component-resolved allergy diagnosis by microarray that has evolved from recent advances in molecular allergology and biochip technology. The technique allows a comprehensive analysis of individual sensitization profiles with multiplexed purified and recombinant allergens within a single run using only a minute amount of serum, providing information that largely exceeds the output from current sIgE capturing tools. Actually, multiplexing allows identification of diagnostic patterns that may facilitate the formulation of diagnostic algorithms. Although CRD by microarray sounds promising, the diagnostic performance requires further intensive assessment before it can enter mainstream application. In our opinion, the technique should currently be considered a complementary diagnostic tool rather than a first-line choice.

Hazelnut allergy: a multi-faced condition with demographic and geographic characteristics.

Abstract Hazelnut (Corylus avellana) allergy varies from rather mild oral allergy symptoms to potentially life-threatening anaphylaxis and exhibits geographic and age-related variations. Severity of symptoms depends on the sensitisation profile of the patient and can partially be predicted using ‘component-resolved diagnosis’. In our region (young) children predominantly exhibit sensitisation to hazelnut storage proteins Cor a 9 and Cor a 11 that is unrelated to birch pollen allergy and is generally associated with a more severe clinical outcome on consumption on raw and processed hazelnut. In contrast, adults predominantly present with an oral allergy syndrome due to an extensive cross-reactivity between the labile Cor a 1.04 and Bet v 1, the major allergen from birch (Betula verrucosa) pollen. In the absence of a cure, avoidance remains the key measure of effective management, particularly in those patients presenting with a severe form.