Background: Prawns and shrimp are a frequent cause of seafood allergy mediated by IgE antibodies. Penaeus monodon and Penaeus latisulcatus, commonly known as black tiger prawn and king prawn, respectively, are among the most frequently consumed prawns in Malaysia. The aim of thi s study was to identify the IgE-binding proteins of these 2 prawn species. Methods: Raw and boiled prawn extracts were prepared and then resolved by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). IgE-immunoblotting was then performed using sera from patients with positive skin prick tests to the raw prawn extracts. Results: SDS-PAGE analysis of the raw extracts of both prawn species revealed 23 protein bands; the boiled extracts yielded fewer protein bands. The bands in the range of 40 to 100 kDa were sensitive to heat and therefore were not found in the boiled extracts. Immunoblot of raw extracts of black tiger prawns and king prawns yielded 14 and 11 IgE-binding proteins, respectively,.....

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Snail allergy is rare, but it can lead to severe allergic reactions. Life-threatening reactions including anaphylactic shock have been often reported after snail consumption. Cerithidea obtusa is a commonly consumed sea snail in Malaysia and other Asian countries. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of immediate hypersensitivity reactions to this species of snail by skin prick test (SPT). Snail proteins were extracted from the snail flesh. A total of 131 patients with atopic diseases were skin prick tested with the snail extract. Out of 131 subjects, 10 (8%) were sensitized to C. obtusa extract. Most of these subjects are allergic rhinitis (70%), allergic conjunctivitis (60%), asthma (20%) and food allergic (20%) patients. As a conclusion, this study showed that the immediate hypersensitivity to marine snail, C. obtusa exists among local atopic patients at a low frequency of 8%. It seems like a patient with C. obtusa sensitization is also probably to be sensitized .....

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This study aimed to produce allergen extracts, determine the frequency and characterize the major and cross-reactive allergens of five species of local bivalves. Allergen extracts were produced from raw and cooked bivalves. The raw bivalve extracts were used in skin prick tests (SPT) on 131 atopic patients. Protein profiles, major and cross-reactive allergens were then identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immunoblotting and immunoblotting inhibition tests, respectively, using sera from bivalve-allergic patients. The major allergens were then identified by mass spectrometry analysis. Research findings indicated that SDS-PAGE of raw extracts revealed 12 to 23 protein bands between 13 to 250 kDa, while the cooked extracts have fewer protein bands. 34 (26%) of the subjects had a positive SPT to at least one bivalve species. The frequency of SPT reactivity to Anadara granosa was the highest at 18%, while Perna viridis was the lowest at 5%. Immu.....

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Shellfish is an important source of food and plays a significant role in human nutrition and health. However, shellfish allergy is a long-lasting disorder which mostly persists throughout life and is often associated with severe reactions [1]. Among the various consumed shellfish, prawns and crabs are the most widely consumed and can lead to the most severe reactions. At present, allergies to shellfish are diagnosed similarly to other food allergies. The diagnosis relies upon careful evaluation of history, the presence of appropriate clinical signs and confirmation with in vivo or in vitro tests to demonstrate the presence of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) [2]. However, both in vivo or in vitro diagnostic approaches are mainly based on the use of crude allergen extracts. Crude allergen extracts are obtained from biological sources and consist of mixture of allergenic components with high amounts of undesirable products that can interfere with diagnosis. In many cases, only fe.....

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