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Can a basophil activation test of cord blood predict a cow's milk allergy?
Dilara Fatma Kocacık Uygun1, Durmuş Burgucu2, Vedat Uygun3
1Pediatric Allergy-Immunology Department, Akdeniz University School of Medicine, Antalya, Turkey.
Insights
High casein basophil activation test (BAT) values in cord blood may predict infant food allergies. This finding suggests casein sensitivity could indicate future allergy risk in newborns, warranting further research.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Pediatric Allergy
Background:
- Food allergies impact 4-6% of children, often developing within the first two years of life.
- Predictive markers like cord blood cells and cytokines for infant allergies are under investigation.
- The precise predictive value of early immunological markers for food allergies remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if a basophil activation test (BAT) on cord blood can predict cow's milk allergy in infants.
- To assess the utility of stimulating basophils with milk protein antigens (cow's milk and casein) for allergy prediction.
Main Methods:
- Cord blood samples were collected from 30 mother-child pairs at birth.
- Basophil activation tests (BAT) were performed using milk protein antigens (cow's milk and casein).
- Infants were monitored for one year to compare BAT results with allergy development.
Main Results:
- Infants with a casein-BAT value ≥2.6 were 33.2 times more likely to develop food allergy symptoms within the first year (P=0.03).
- No significant association was found between cow's milk-specific BAT values and cow's milk sensitivity.
- Elevated casein-BAT levels showed a strong correlation with the onset of food allergy symptoms.
Conclusions:
- High casein-BAT values in cord blood may serve as a predictive marker for food allergy development in the first year of life.
- Casein sensitivity, indicated by BAT, might be a key factor in predicting overall food allergy risk.
- Further research is necessary to validate the predictive power of casein-BAT for infant food allergies.
Background:
Food allergies affect 4%-6% of the pediatric population and are often present within the first 2 years of life. Cord blood cells and cytokines in high-risk infants can predict allergic problems; however, their predictive value remains unclear.
Purpose:
This study aimed to determine whether a cow's milk allergy in infants can be predicted using a basophil activation test (BAT) of cord blood samples by stimulating basophils with milk protein antigens (cow's milk and casein).
Methods:
We collected cord blood during the birth of 30 mother-child pairs and immediately analyzed BAT stimulated with milk protein antigens. One year later, we compared the results of those infants who developed an allergy to those who did not.
Results:
We found that infants with a casein-BAT value ≥2.6 were 33.2 times more likely than those with a casein- BAT value <2.6 to develop food allergy symptoms within the first year of life (P=0.03).
Conclusion:
High casein-BAT values in cord blood may predict the development of food allergies during the first year of life. Although no association with cow's milk sensitivity has been found, casein sensitivity may indicate food allergy risk. However, further studies are required to confirm this association.
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