[A case of severe milk allergy. Relationship with type I and Type III allergic reactions]

A case of cow's milk allergy related to type I and type III allergic reactions is reported. The patient is a one-month-old girl. She had watery diarrhea and abdominal distention soon after commencement of milk feeding two weeks after birth. She was cyanotic and floppy on admission. Intravenous complete hyperalimentation was tried to combat her diarrhea with good clinical effect. Then feeding with 605Z milk (enzyme digested cow's milk antigen, Meiji Milk Products Co., Ltd.) was started, and the diarrhea improved. Laboratory findings showed positive milk PK test, elevated IgE score, and positive milk specific RAST score, decreased serum complement, elevated levels of each immunoglobulin class of milk specific antibodies, especially milk specific IgG1 antibody and increased complement absorption test. She was diagnosed as having milk allergy related to both type I and type III allergies from the above-mentioned results. Specific antibodies were diminished after feeding with 605Z. Although her mother had not taken cow's milk over the past 10 years, she took a lot of milk during her pregnancy. But her serum milk specific antibodies were not elevated. It was suggested that the baby's antibodies were not derived from her mother but that the baby produced them by herself.