2016 Volume 10 Issue 3 Pages 225-231
We report four cases of allergies caused by citrus fruits. In these cases, in addition to oral allergy syndrome (OAS) caused by citrus fruits, all of the patients also had OAS induced by other fruits and vegetables. Sensitization to various forms of pollen was seen in these patients: cedar (3 of 4 cases) , white birch (2 of 4 cases) , black alder (2 of 4 cases) , Gramineae (1 of 4 cases) , ragweed (1 of 4 cases) , and mugwort (1 of 4 cases) . As all 3 patients who underwent skin prick tests of the component allergens produced positive results for Bet v2, it was strongly suggested that profilin contributes to OAS caused by citrus fruits. In studies of European patients with citrus fruit allergies, it has been reported that gramineous pollen sensitization was common among profilin-specific IgE antibody-positive patients. In contrast, only one of our patients was sensitized to gramineous pollen, and it was suggested that cross reactivity between citrus fruits and Japanese cedar pollen might have been responsible our patients' citrus fruit-induced OAS. In addition, one patient had pollinosis, but their symptoms included marked anaphylaxis, so their condition might have been associated with lipid transfer protein.
