Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 1, 2026

Application of Biochip Microfluidic Technology to Detect Serum Allergen-specific Immunoglobulin E sIgE
Published on: April 21, 2019
Why Does Australia Appear to Have the Highest Rates of Food Allergy?
Katrina J Allen1, Jennifer J Koplin2
1Centre of Food and Allergy Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne 3052, Australia; Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne 3052, Australia; Department of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition, The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne 3052, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, The Royal Children's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Melbourne 3052, Australia; Institute of Inflammation and Repair, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Abstract:
Australia has reported the highest rates of food allergy, using the gold standard, oral food challenge. This phenomenon, which appears linked to the "modern lifestyle" and has coincided with the explosion of the new diseases of affluence in the 21st century, dubbed "affluenza," has spurred a multitude of theories and academic investigations. This review focuses on potentially modifiable lifestyle factors for the prevention of food allergy and presents the first data to emerge in the Australian context that centers around the dual allergen exposure hypothesis, the vitamin D hypothesis, and the hygiene hypothesis.
Related Concept Videos
Allergic Reactions: Anaphylaxis
Allergic Reactions
Allergic Drug Reactions
Drug Toxicity: Allergic Reactions
Antibody Structure
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...
Hypersensitivities
Types of Hypersensitivities
Hypersensitivity reactions are categorized into four types: Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4. Each type has a distinct mechanism...

