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Updated: Jan 4, 2026
A Component-resolved Diagnostic Approach for a Study on Grass Pollen Allergens in Chinese Southerners with Allergic Rhinitis and/or Asthma
Published on: June 4, 2017
Epidemiological study of oral allergy syndrome in birch pollen dispersal-free regions
Yoko Osawa1, Yumi Ito2, Noboru Takahashi3
1Division of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Sensory and Locomotor Medicine, Faculty of Medical Science, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan; Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Japanese Red Cross Fukui Hospital, Fukui, Japan.
Background:
Oral allergy syndrome (OAS) is an immediate allergy caused by a cross-reaction of highly homologous common antigens (pan-allergens) contained in fruits/vegetables and pollen.
Methods:
A questionnaire was provided to 6824 outpatient visitors and serum levels of specific IgEs against crude antigens and pan-allergen components were measured to study the relationship between the prevalence of OAS and pollinosis in the Fukui Prefecture where there is almost no dispersal of birch pollen.
Results:
The prevalence of OAS was 10.8%. The rate of pollinosis complication in the OAS group was 67.4%, and OAS was observed in 16.8% of pollinosis patients. Causative foods in order of frequency were melon, pineapple, kiwi fruit, peach, and apple. A significantly higher number of patients from the OAS group were positive for birch, alder, and timothy grass-specific IgE. The rate of positivity for anti-component IgE corresponding to pollen in OAS group was also significantly higher. Of 34 patients with OAS caused by eating apples, 28 (82.4%) were positive for Mal d1-specific IgE. Of the 52 patients with peach-induced OAS, 41 (78.8%) were positive for Pur p1-specific IgE. The concordance rates between crude antigen-specific IgE and anti-PR-10 component-specific IgE were 87.1% and 93.3% for apple and peach respectively.
Conclusions:
In regions where birch pollen is not dispersed, OAS patients have a significant association with the onset of Bet v1-associated allergy. Anti-PR-10 component IgE was useful in diagnosing OAS, and crude antigen-specific IgE was also associated with apple and peach allergies.
