Food allergy: the celery-mugwort-spice syndrome. Association with mango allergy?

Abstract

Celery allergies are commonly observed in mugwort pollen-allergic patients. This situation is frequently associated with an allergy to spices of the umbelliferous family. Thus a "celery-mugwort-spice syndrome" has been established. In 31 patients (27 females, 4 males) allergy to celery was diagnosed between 1978 and 1982. They were followed up in 1983 and complementary tests (skin and RAST) with various raw vegetables, spices and mugwort pollen were done. For specific diagnosis of allergy to celery skin testing (scratch or prick) with fresh celery bulb was reliable. In contrast, RAST was not sufficiently sensitive, 87% of patients allergic to celery had pollinosis in the form of mugwort pollen sensitisation established by skin testing and RAST. Allergy to carrots was clinically and by testing currently associated in 52%. In contrast, a clinically relevant hypersensitivity to caraway (26%), parsley (16%), fennel (13%), green pepper (10%) and aniseed (3%) was found less frequently although these allergens showed a much larger positivity in skin testing. This signifies group sensitisation within the umbelliferous plants. The association of celery-mugwort allergy with allergy to mango fruit described here for the first time cannot be explained as group sensitisation within a botanic relation, as mango, and pistachio-nut, belong to the family of anacardiaceae.