Chicken (is it cross-reactive at all w/ egg??)

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admin rebekahc:
MandCmama
Member
Posted: 04.15.2010 at 08:08:21

Looked at a ton of sites...seems about 5% or less of childeren with egg allergy also have chicken allergy...couldn't find specifics on the connection, though...

DS#1- 4 yo allergic to peanuts/avoiding tree nuts
DS#2- 2 yo allergic to egg

Pennsylvania, USA

admin rebekahc:
suevv
Member
Posted: 04.15.2010 at 08:50:18

Don't know about the protein question - but our ds eats chicken by the truckload and he is EA (though not anaphylactic on his one - tiny- exposure).

Edited to add: I would NOT go against your doctor's recommendation - but I might strongly consider getting a second opinion.

Sue

« Last Edited by suevv 04.15.2010 at 08:52:58 »

admin rebekahc:
CMdeux
Moderator1
Posted: 04.15.2010 at 09:13:47

Exactly-- that's what I was thinking, as well.

We were told by all three of our allergists that a 5% chance of allergy was NOT a reason to avoid a food...

specifically, re: other legumes and PEANUT allergy.

(For reference, this was after my then year-old DD had already had a reaction to pn that was unambiguously life-threatening.)

With a single allergy, it might not be such a big deal to avoid two things...

but in a household with MFA...

well, firstly it is probably adding stress that you don't need. :-*

Secondly, there's some (increasing) anecdotal clinical evidence that suggests that limiting foods can actually lead to sensitization instead of tolerance...

Vitellins and Albumins are the proteins in EGGS. To the best of my knowledge, those proteins simply aren't in the meat of poultry. Perhaps this was cross-reactivity with eggs from other domestic fowl?

Seems like that one is up in that range-- 5-20% cross-reactivity among hen-egg allergic individuals, and I think that if it is one protein versus the other, that risk is higher...

I've read a LOT about egg allergy in ten years... and I have never seen anything re: any link. There is a putative (though very low) risk of beef allergy in milk allergic persons, apparently... but even that is quite rare.

If you find your reference for the link-- or can convince the allergist to refresh your memory, I'd love to know what it is. :yes:

« Last Edited by CMdeux 04.15.2010 at 09:15:13 »

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." -Robert Louis Stevenson

USA

admin rebekahc:
CMdeux
Moderator1
Posted: 04.15.2010 at 09:21:32

Ahhhh-- I wonder if your allergist is thinking of Bird-Egg syndrome.

--- Quote ---In Bird-Egg Syndrome, cross-reactivity to Hen's egg occurs (2-3). IgE from patients with Bird-Egg Syndrome were shown to recognise a 70 kDa protein in egg yolk and some major allergens in bird feather extract. Chicken serum albumin is the same protein as that designated alpha-livetin in egg yolk. The sera of patients with Bird-Egg Syndrome, pooled with Budgerigar or Hen feather extract and egg yolk extract, led to complete blocking of IgE binding to allergens in egg yolk and bird feather extract. However, IgE from patients with egg white allergy did not react with allergens in egg yolk and bird feather extract, despite strong IgE binding to egg white allergens. These results indicate common epitopes of Budgerigar and Hen feather and egg yolk alpha-livetin, and researchers suggest that alpha-livetin (Chicken serum albumin) leads to a cross-sensitisation and consequently to "Bird-Egg Syndrome" (4-6). This adult type of egg intolerance must be distinguished from the common egg white allergy of atopic children.
--- End quote ---

(bold mine)

This is from ImmunoCAP/Invitrosight's webpage (they are THE company re: RAST testing, so definitely reputable info).

http://www.immunocapinvitrosight.com/dia_templates/ImmunoCAP/Allergen____28503.aspx

Do you know if your child is egg-YOLK allergic?

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." -Robert Louis Stevenson

USA

admin rebekahc:
CMdeux
Moderator1
Posted: 04.15.2010 at 09:37:55

Yes, that seems to be it.

http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/abstract.do?topicKey=%7Ef%2FjKKr9QdaLL4%2F&refNum=9

This is from the reference mentioned here--

http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/topic.do?topicKey=~f/jKKr9QdaLL4/

This is probably the 'strongest' evidence for such a link-- but look at the publication date. This is also probably information that doesn't even APPLY, statistically, to anyone born after 1995.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6625124?dopt=Abstract

Also worth noting is that this was not a clinical study at all. So the results may or may not translate into clinical practice in the first place.

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." -Robert Louis Stevenson

USA