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| Transplantation allergy | |
Eating snails can make you "sluggish"
"Eating snails can trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis when combined with exercise", report G Longo and co-workers. A 14 year old boy experienced a severe allergic reaction after eating a meal containing snails and then exercising. He was found to be allergic to dust mite and snail with further testing and the authors suggest that similar proteins in both animals (cross-reactivity) triggered the reaction. (G Longo et al. Allergy 2000; 55: 513-4).
Eating frogs can make you "croak"
Not only has exposure to frogs been associated with rashes with contact and occupational asthma in chefs, but eating them can trigger life-threatening anaphylaxis. As described in a recent case report, frogs were once a popular food in Italy, caught by consumers in ponds and canals. Now they are considered a delicacy and exposure is uncommon. The case concerned a 6 year old girl who suffered an episode of life-threatening anaphylaxis after being given boiled frog by her mother. It was given to supplement her diet as she was already allergic to multiple other foods and on such a restricted diet. (C Romano et al. Food allergy to frog. Allergy 2000; 55: 584-5)
Normally you would expect that breast feeding protects from allergy. In this 1992 case published in The Lancet, however, Mum had anaphylaxis every time she fed, and it occurred 5 years later when she had her second child. The authors hypothesised that she was suffering from a variant of physical urticaria, aggravated by dietary salicylates.(Ref: RJ Mullins et al. Breast feeding anaphylaxis. Lancet 1992; 338:1279-80)
We all know that conventional drugs can cause side effects and that some people will develop allergies to them. What is not widely appreciated is that sometimes even "natural" remedies can cause problems. While not a common problem, it is not surprising if one realises that it is just as easy to be allergic to substances in herbal plant remedies as it is to be sensitive to substances in other plants like foods or pollens. Both Royal Jelly and Echinacea have been implicated in reports of severe (and sometimes fatal) allergic reactions. Some of these people were taking the remedies for the first time. Patients with asthma seem to be at particular risk. (Ref: RJ Mullins. Echinacea-associated anaphylaxis. Med J Aust 1998; 168:170-1; FCK Thien et al. Asthma and anaphylaxis induced by Royal Jelly. Clin Exp Allergy 1996; 26:216-22)
No, it's not your 7 year old who never seems to make it into the bathroom! Some people have a condition called "aquagenic urticaria" where they start to itch and swell up when they come into contact with water. Other than using medicines, it's hard to treat. (Ref: Sibbald RG et al. Aquagenic urticaria: evidence of cholinergic and histaminergic basis. Br J Dermatol 1981; 105:297-302)
How many times have we heard the expression that someone must be allergic to their nearest and dearest? Well, there are a few unfortunate individuals who have had nasty allergic reactions to their partners sweat and even sperm.(Refs: Mike N, Bird G, Asquith P. A new manifestation of seminal fluid hypersensitivity. Q J Med 1990; 276: 371-6. Mathias CGT, Frick OL, Caldwell TM, Yunginger JW, Maibach HI. Immediate hypersensitivity to seminal fluid and atopic dermatitis. Arch Dermatol 1980; 116: 209-12. Freeman S. Woman allergic to husband's sweat and semen. Contact Dermatitis 1986; 14: 110-2.)
In space, no-one can hear you sneeze!
You can encounter animal allergen in the most unusual places. For example, cat allergen has even been detected in the Antarctic and in the Space shuttle, even though animals have never been there! Indded in one recent report, a lrage proportion of the young population of a Canadian island were still sensitive to cats, even though they had been deliberately eradicated over 20 years ago! (Ref: R Siebers et al. The Lancet, 1999; 353:1942. Professor M Chapman, Virginia USA-personal communication. ALK Conference Report Autumn 1997. M Chan-Yeung et al. Sensitization to cat without direct exposure to cats. Clin Exp Allergy 1999; 29:762-5)
They can't hear you sneeze under water either!
It's very hard at times to avoid what you are allergic to, even under water. For example, high levels of dust might have been found in the bunks of German submarines at levels high enough to trigger allergic symptoms in sensitive individuals. There is also a case report of a scuba diver who had an acute asthma attack when swimming underwater. The researchers attributed the attack to Parietaria pollen in the air he inhaled from the gas tank. Apparently, the tank was filled in a new area, there was no filtration on the air compressor, and the area was rich in Parietaria pollen. (Steffen T. Englehart et al. Exposure of submarine personnel to house dust mite allergens. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999; 104: 242-3. Gennaro D'Amato et al. Pollen asthma in the deep. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999;p710)
Yes, our domestic friends can cause allergies, but they can get them too. There are a number of reports of allergic rashes, drug allergy, food allergies and even hay fever like symptoms in domestic animals like cats and dogs, as well as wild animals such as monkeys. Chronic urticaria (hives) has also been described in horses, attributed to food allergy. As yet, there are no reports of animals being allergic to their owners! (Refs include: Wittich FW. Allergic diseases in animals. Prog Allergy 1949; 2: 58-67. Reedy LM. Food hypersensitivity to lamb in a cat. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1994; 204:1039-40. R Patterson. Rush immunotherapy in a dog with severe ragweed and grass pollen allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 1999; 83:213-6. Maddisson JE. Adverse drug reactions: report of the Australian Vetinary Association Adverse Drug Reaction Subcommittee 1992; Aust Vet J 1992; 69:288-91. JG Jeffers et al. Diagnostic testing of dogs for food hypersensitivity. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1991; 198:245-50. C Kobayashi et al. IgE reactivity and cross-reactivity of Japanese monkeys to Japanese cedar. Cli Exp Allergy 1999; 29: 856-61. Francqueville M, Sabbah A. Chronic urticaria in sports horses. Allerg Immunol (Paris) 1999 Jun;31(6):212-3)
Did the dinosaurs die out because of allergy?
No-one really knows, but they did do so around the time of the rise of the pollenating grasses. Remember the scene in Jurassic Park (Part I) when the brachiosaurus sneezed all over the actor Sam Neill while he was up a tree? Hay fever is certainly nothing to be sneezed at, particularly when it's a brachiosaurus out of antihistamines!
Animals don't have to have hair or fur to cause problems in allergic people. In a report published in August 2000, a man experienced hayfever symptoms only when he was at home. He was not allergic to dust, and denied having any furry pets. It was only when he became acutely worse after handling his pet iguana that his doctors proved it was the cause. (JM Kelso et al. Allergy to iguana. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2000; 106: 369-72)
No, it's not gym phobia. Some people really get allergic reactions like runny noses, asthma and even life-threatening anaphylaxis when they exercise too hard. (Refs: Volcheck GW. Li JT. Exercise-induced urticaria and anaphylaxis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 1997; 72(2):140-7. Silvers WS. Exercise-induced allergies: the role of histamine release. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 1992; 68: 58-63. Nichols AW. Exercise-induced anaphylaxis and urticaria. Clinics in Sports Medicine 1992; 11: 303-12.)
Hand eczema due to nickel allergy is well described in in cashiers constantly handling money. More recently, however, allergic contact dermatitis to acrylates in Australian plastic banknotes has also been reported in two Australian men. The rash occurred where money was held in their pockets. A case of money "burning a hole" in their pockets? (Refs: Gollhausen R, Ring J. Allergy to coined money: nickel contact deermatitis in cashiers. J Am Acad Dermatol 1991; 25: 365-9. Mohamed M et al. Allergic contact dermatitis to plastic banknotes. Australas J Dermatol 1999; 40: 164-6)
Unusual food allergies
A number of unusual food allergies have been described. For example,
frog meat has long been known to be allergenic, with most allergic
reactions having been described in those with occupational exposure,
such as laboratory technicians, professional frog catchers and
cooks preparing the food for eating. Or recently, a case of an
allergic reaction to eating Frog meat has been described in the
young child (Food Allergy to Frog. Allergy
June 2000; 55: 584 - 5). Whereas furry animals such as
pet cats and dogs and laboratory animals often produce allergens
which can trigger hayfever or asthma, it is usually assumed that
reptiles cannot do so. Allergic reaction to iguana has been described,
with the patient experiencing hayfever-like symptoms and shortness
of breath after exposure to his pet iguana. Surprisingly, he was
not allergic to his other indoor animals. (Journal
of Allergy and Clinical immunology 2000; 106: 369 - 72).
Imported fire ant allergy in Australia
Stings from bees, wasps and ants are responsible for many severe
allergic reactions in Australia. Until recently, allergic reactions
to ant stings have usually been caused by the jumper ant or Green
Ant of Queensland. The Imported Fire Ant, however, which is native
to Brazil, was accidentally introduced into the United States
in the 1930s. Since that time it has spread rapidly throughout
the southern United States, causing both severe allergic reactions
and destruction to property. In February 2001, two colonies of
fire ants were discovered within the Brisbane region, posing a
risk of this insect spreading and causing allergic reactions in
Australia as well (Med J Australia 2002;
176: 521-3).
Transplantation of allergy
A number of cases of organ transplants resulting in the recipient
developing allergy for the first time have been described. These
include transplants of bone-marrow and liver tissue. Asthma, hay
fever, drug allergy, eczema and food allergy have all been described
after these procedures. Whilst superficially unusual, is perhaps
not so hard to understand how this might happen when one realises
that allergic reactions occur as a result off actions of white
cells within these tissues. By transplant such tissue, one is
effectively transferring white cells with a potential ability
to cause allergic reactions to the recipient (Annals
of Asthma Allergy and Immunology 2002; 89: 316 - 8).
