A Case of Contact Urticaria Syndrome Due to Abalone in a Sushi Chef

Abstract

　A 22-year-old man started working as a sushi chef at a sushi bar two years ago and handled raw seafood. One month ago, when cooking the raw abalon, prawns and red rice prawns, itchy erythema appeared on his hands, followed by urticaria development over his entire body with respiratory distress. Afterwards, he exhibited itchiness on his hands and coughed when he cooked abalone or prawns. Specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) tests were positive for asari clams, oysters and scallops. Skin-prick tests for the raw and heated abalone, raw prawn and raw soctopus were positive. Abalone caused respiratory distress during the skin test. The symptoms did not occur when he touched or ate octopus. Therefore, we diagnosed him with contact urticaria syndrome due to abalone and contact urticaria due to prawns.