Latex allergy: Low prevalence of immunoglobulin e to highly purified proteins Hev b 2 and Hev b 13

T. Palosuo, M. Lehto, A. Kotovuori, N. Kalkkinen, C. Blanco, P. Poza, T. Carrillo, R. G. Hamilton, H. Alenius, T. Reunala, K. Turjanmaa

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Hevea brasiliensis (Hev b) 2 and Hev b 13 have recently been identified as major latex allergens by detecting specific IgE antibodies in >50% of sera from Hev b latex-allergic individuals. Objective: We assessed the prevalence rates for sensitization to extensively purified latex allergens in patients from three diverse geographical areas. Methods: Native Hev b 2, Hev b 5, Hev b 6.01 and Hev b 13 were purified by non-denaturating chromatography and were used in ELISAs to assess sera from 215 latex-allergic patients and 172 atopic non-sensitized controls from Finland, Spain and the United States to detect allergen-specific IgE antibodies. Results: Unexpectedly, even highly purified Hev b 13 contained epitope(s) to which Hev b 6-specific human IgE antibodies bound effectively. Further purification, however, reduced the prevalence of IgE antibody reactivity to low levels: 15%, 5% and 11% for Hev b 2, and 18%, 30% and 27% for Hev b 13 among latex-allergic Finnish, Spanish and American patients, respectively. Interestingly, Finnish patients had a lower prevalence of Hev b 5-specific IgE antibody (28%) as compared with Spanish (49%) and American (71%) patients. The prevalence of Hev b 6.01-specific IgE reactivity was uniformly >50% in all three populations. Conclusion: Neither Hev b 2 nor Hev b 13 appear to be major latex allergens when evaluated in serological assays using highly purified allergens. The reason(s) for the observed differences in published sensitization rates in various geographic regions requires further study. The purity of the allergen preparations has a marked impact on the accuracy of latex-specific IgE antibody detection in epidemiological studies and in the serological diagnosis of latex allergy.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1502-1511
Number of pages10
JournalClinical and Experimental Allergy
Volume37
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 2007

Keywords

  • Allergens
  • Hev b 13
  • Hev b 2
  • IgE antibodies
  • Latex hypersensitivity
  • Prevalence

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology

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