Abstract
BackgroundThe prevalence of IgE mediated food allergies has increased over the last two decades. Food allergy has been reported to be fatal in highly sensitive individuals. Legumes are important food allergens but their prevalence may vary among different populations. The present study identifies sensitization to common legumes among Indian population, characterizes allergens of kidney bean and establishes its cross reactivity with other legumes.MethodologyPatients (n = 355) with history of legume allergy were skin prick tested (SPT) with 10 legumes. Specific IgE (sIgE) and total IgE were estimated in sera by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Characterization of kidney bean allergens and their cross reactivity was investigated by immunobiochemical methods. Identification of major allergens of kidney bean was carried out by mass spectrometry.Principal FindingsKidney bean exhibited sensitization in 78 (22.0%) patients followed by chickpea 65 (18.0%) and peanut 53 (15%). SPT positive patients depicted significantly elevated sIgE levels against different legumes (r = 0.85, p<0.0001). Sera from 30 kidney bean sensitive individuals exhibited basophil histamine release (16–54%) which significantly correlated with their SPT (r = 0.83, p<0.0001) and sIgE (r = 0.99, p<0.0001). Kidney bean showed eight major allergens of 58, 50, 45, 42, 40, 37, 34 and 18 kDa on immunoblot and required 67.3±2.51 ng of homologous protein for 50% IgE inhibition. Inhibition assays revealed extensive cross reactivity among kidney bean, peanut, black gram and pigeon pea. nLC-MS/MS analysis identified four allergens of kidney bean showing significant matches with known proteins namely lectin (phytohemagglutinin), phaseolin, alpha-amylase inhibitor precursor and group 3 late embryogenesis abundant protein.Conclusion/SignificanceAmong legumes, kidney bean followed by chick pea and peanut are the major allergic triggers in asthma and rhinitis patients in India. Kidney bean showed eight major allergens and cross reacted with other legumes. A combination of SPT, sIgE and histamine release assay is helpful in allergy diagnosis.
Highlights
Food allergy is an important public concern and there are studies to identify and characterize certain food allergens [1]
Principal Findings: Kidney bean exhibited sensitization in 78 (22.0%) patients followed by chickpea 65 (18.0%) and peanut 53 (15%)
Studies demonstrate that food allergies are associated with asthma and rhinitis which may lead to life threatening anaphylactic reaction [6,7]
Summary
Food allergy is an important public concern and there are studies to identify and characterize certain food allergens [1]. All food products that contain protein may cause allergic reactions. It depends on genetic factors, exposure to new allergenic products early in life and dietary habits. IgE mediated food allergies are reported to be 3–4% in adults and 6% in children [4]. In India, the knowledge about food hypersensitivity is limited to a few clinicoimmunological studies. This shows evidence of allergy to foods such as egg, milk, chickpea, rice and black gram in children and adult population [12,13,14,15]. Legumes are important food allergens but their prevalence may vary among different populations. The present study identifies sensitization to common legumes among Indian population, characterizes allergens of kidney bean and establishes its cross reactivity with other legumes
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