Immune responses to major peanut allergens

Monday, 18 January 2010 13:33

To improve understanding of the immune responses involved in peanut allergy, researchers in The Netherlands have investigated T cell responses towards major peanut allergens from a crude peanut extract in a group of eighteen peanut-allergic children. Results were compared with those from seven peanut-sensitized non-allergic children and 11 non atopic adults as controls.

T cell responses to crude protein extract in peanut allergy and peanut sensitised children were characterized by Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Only children with peanut allergy showed enhanced Th2 responses to Ara h 1, Ara h 3 and Ara h 6; these responses were not seen in peanut-sensitized non-allergic children or non atopic adults controls.

Reference: Flinterman et al 2010. Clinical & Experimental Allergy DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2009.03431.x