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In children, fruit and vegetable allergies are often overlooked compared with well-known allergies such as those to eggs, milk, and shellfish. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze fruit and vegetable allergies in children, including prevalence, types of food allergens, clinical presentation, management, and associated comorbid atopic diseases. In 2012, a nationwide, cross-sectional, random sampling questionnaire-based survey for common fruit and vegetable allergies was conducted in Taiwan. Information regarding these plant food allergies was collected. Physicians diagnosed food allergies according to the descriptions of convincing symptoms. Enrolled questionnaires were reviewed by expert pediatricians. A total of 9,982 valid questionnaires were analyzed. The overall prevalence of fruit and vegetable allergies was 5.6% (n = 560) and 3.0% (n = 304), respectively. The most common fruit allergen was mango, followed by kiwifruit, whereas taro and bamboo shoot were the most common vegetable allergens. Meanwhile, most allergic symptoms were of the mucocutaneous tissue, followed by the upper airway and gastrointestinal tract. Most only required avoidance of allergens and not medical treatment. Children with fruit or vegetable allergies had a higher percentage of comorbid atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, and asthma than those without food allergies; additionally, the proportion of comorbid atopic diseases was similar between fruit and vegetable allergies and shellfish allergy. One child developed anaphylaxis due to a corn allergy. Fruits and vegetables are common food allergens in Taiwanese children who present with diverse and potentially severe symptoms. Children with plant food allergies had a percentage of comorbid atopic diseases similar to that of shellfish allergy, the most common allergen. These findings indicate the importance of considering fruit and vegetable allergies in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Les protéines régulées par la gibbérelline (GRP) forment une nouvelle famille de panallergènes impliqués dans les syndromes pollen-aliments. Pru p 7, GRP de la pêche, est responsable du syndrome cyprès-pêche, mais au regard des cas déclarés au RAV, il apparaît que les GRP peuvent être responsables d'un syndrome plus vaste cyprès-fruits. Le premier cas déclaré au RAV date de 2017, année où les premiers dosages de Pru p 7 ont été faits de manière expérimentale. Depuis 2020, ce dosage est désormais disponible en routine et devient donc un outil biologique indispensable au diagnostic d'allergie alimentaire secondaire pollen-fruits. Gibberellin-regulated proteins (GRP) form a new family of panallergens involved in pollen-food syndromes. Pru p 7, GRP from peach, is responsible for the cypress-peach syndrome, but from the cases reported to the RAV, it appears that GRP may be responsible for a broader cypress-fruit syndrome. The first case reported to the RAV dates from 2017, when the first Pru p 7 assays were performed on an experimental basis. Since 2020, this assay is now routinely available and thus becomes an indispensable biological tool for the diagnosis of secondary pollen-fruit food allergy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of individuals allergic to latex, exhibiting cross-hypersensitivity with plant-derived food has been frequently reported as the so-called latex-fruit syndrome. Nonetheless, molecular mechanisms underlying allergy to latex and/or fruit are poorly understood. AIM: The aims of this study were to identify candidate genes that may be associated with the pathogenesis of allergy to latex and/or vegetable food, and to assess if similar molecular pathways are involved in both types of hypersensitivity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA microarray analysis was performed to screen the molecular profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from patients with allergy to latex, to fruit, or with latex-fruit syndrome, and from control healthy subjects. RESULTS: Molecular profiling identified an overlapping dataset of genes commonly regulated in all the atopic patients enrolled in this study, suggesting that similar molecular mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of allergy to the fruit and/or latex. Several regulators of the innate and acquired immunity reported to polarize the immunological response towards a Th2-mediated immune response were overexpressed in the patients. Evidences suggested that the expression of T-regulatory cells might be defective in allergic patients, as a consequence of a dysregulation of some inflammatory cytokines. Finally, several transcription factors that may be responsible for the Th1/Th2 imbalance were modulated in allergic patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified relevant genes that may help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying allergic disease. Knowledges of critical targets, along with transcription factors regulating gene activity may facilitate the development of new therapeutic options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]