Shellfish allergy is not all about tropomyosin

Monday, 20 July 2009 20:50

Shellfish allergy has been found to be the main cause of food allergy related emergency room visits in adults and children older than 6 years in the USA. Until recently, the protein tropomyosin found in shrimp was thought to be the main protein responsible for allergic reactions to shellfish.

Last year, Ayuso et al. from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York carried out a study which indicated the shrimp protein myosin light chain (MLC), Lit v 3, was also allergenic (JACI, 2008, 122: 795-802 ), especially in children. The authors of that study have recently published the findings of further research in this area (JACI July 2009 Volume 124 No. 1) in which they claim to have identified and cloned a new shrimp allergen, Lit v 4.0101, a sarcoplasmic calcium-binding protein (SCP).  The results of this research indicate that for some subjects, especially children, SCP may be more important than tropomyosin as a shellfish allergen, and the researchers recommend SCP be included in diagnostic and treatment strategies for shellfish-allergic patients.