title: Skin prick test and basophil reactivity to cetuximab in patients with IgE to alpha-gal and allergy to red meat.
abstract: Severe hypersensitivity reactions to red meat with delay of several hours in patients with IgE to alpha-gal (galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose) have been reported. The diagnosis of meat allergy is difficult, because of the limited sensitivity of skin prick tests and specific IgE tests to meat extracts. These circumstances have been explained by the delayed expression of alpha-gal due to digestive processes. Because of the low sensitivity of skin prick tests to meat, we studied the possibility to perform skin prick tests with cetuximab, which carries the alpha-gal epitope. Skin prick and intradermal tests with cetuximab were clearly positive in 2 of 2 patients. As a further diagnostic step, we performed basophil activation tests with cetuximab. Skin prick tests and basophil activation test using cetuximab may be a more sensitive alternative in patients with an assumed allergy to meat.
authors.affiliation: Allergy Unit, Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.forename: I A F M
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Heijnen
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bircher
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology*; D000707:Anaphylaxis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001491:Basophils / Q000276:immunology*; D000068818:Cetuximab; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008461:Meat Products / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D000068818:Cetuximab
keywords: alpha-gal; anaphylaxis; cetuximab; food allergy