Allergenic activity of heated and ovomucoid-depleted egg white.
BACKGROUND
No egg white products have been clearly proven to be hypoallergenic. The role of egg white proteins in allergic reactions to eggs is still debatable.


OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to determine the importance of ovomucoid, an egg white protein, in the development of allergies to egg white.


METHODS
We performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge in subjects with high levels of IgE antibodies for egg white to compare the allergenicities of heated and ovomucoid-depleted egg white, freeze-dried egg white, and heated egg white. Levels of IgE antibodies for egg white, ovomucoid, ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, and lysozyme were measured in serum by RAST.


RESULTS
Twenty-one of 38 subjects with positive challenge responses to freeze-dried egg white had negative challenge responses to heated egg white, whereas 16 of 17 subjects (94.1%) with positive responses to heated egg white did not respond to the heated and ovomucoid-depleted egg white challenge. The subjects with positive challenge responses to freeze-dried egg white tended to have higher IgE antibody values to ovomucoid than those with negative responses. IgE antibody levels to ovomucoid were significantly higher in subjects with positive responses to a challenge with heated egg white than in those with no response. There were no significant differences in the levels of IgE antibodies to the other proteins, except ovomucoid, in the negative-response and positive-response groups in challenge tests with freeze-dried and heated egg white.


CONCLUSIONS
The heated and ovomucoid-depleted egg white preparation was less allergenic than heated or freeze-dried preparations. Ovomucoid has a more important role in the pathogenesis of allergic reactions to egg white than other proteins in egg white.
Urisu
A
A
Department of Pediatrics, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Aichi, Japan.
Ando
H
H
Morita
Y
Y
Wada
E
E
Yasaki
T
T
Yamada
K
K
Komada
K
K
Torii
S
S
Goto
M
M
Wakamatsu
T
T
D000485:Allergens / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000097:blood; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003207:Conalbumin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004529:Egg White / Q000009:adverse effects; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009113:Muramidase / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology; D010059:Ovomucin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D010919:Placebos; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate
D000485:Allergens; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D010919:Placebos; C026408:anti-IgE antibodies; D003207:Conalbumin; D012967:Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate; D010059:Ovomucin; D010047:Ovalbumin; D009113:Muramidase