Cross-Reactive Shellfish-specific Monoclonal IgE Antibodies Discovered from Highly Allergic Individuals

Abstract

The prevalence of shellfish allergy[JG1] [DC2] is 1.5-2.5% in the United States and is even higher in Southeast Asia. Shellfish antigens can elicit potent IgE responses [DC3] in individuals with severe allergies; however, the difficulty of discovering human monoclonal IgE antibodies has slowed progress in understanding the origins of allergen cross-reactivity at the molecular level.