Identification and characterisation of immunoreactive fungal proteins recognised by sera from Zimbabweans sensitised to fungi

Exposure and sensitisation to fungal allergens poses a serious threat to human health. The prevalence of fungal allergic disease is increasing globally but is poorly studied in Africa. This study aimed to identify and characterise fungal proteins that were immunoreactive against serum samples from fungal-sensitised Zimbabweans. A pool of eight sera (3-5 years old) from fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus, Alternaria alternata, Cladosporium herbarum, Epicoccum nigrum, Penicillium chrysogenum, Rhizopus nigricans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae) sensitive Zimbabwean children (as determined by Skin prick tests) was used to screen proteins for immunoreactivity. Protein bands recognised by the sera were identified via mass spectrometry and bioinformatic analysis. The data on the identified proteins and the metadata of the eight children are presented here.