A case of allergy to airborne, heat-labile shrimp allergens

Skin prick tests with a large series of commercial extracts of food allergens (Dome-Hollister/Stier 1:10 w/v), including plant-derived foods, egg, milk, crustaceans, several fishes, and several meats, were carried out; a strong skin reactivity to both shrimp and crab was found (mean wheal diameter, 5 mm), but no other food yielded positive results on skin prick testing. In inhibition studies, 85 μL undiluted serum was absorbed with 35 μL house dust mite extract (4.1 mg protein/mL, prepared as previously described) for 3 hours at 25°C. Bound specific IgE was detected with peroxidase-conjugated anti-IgE serum from goat, an Ultra Blue soluble form being used as substrate (Intergen, Milford, Mass).