Réactivité croisée des aliments source d’allergie

Abstract

Food allergy is an immunological disorder resulting from an abnormal immune system response to normally harmless food proteins, most often mediated by IgE antibodies. This condition is steadily increasing worldwide. Diagnosis is based on skin tests, the measurement of specific IgE, and the oral food challenge, while therapeutic management primarily relies on the avoidance of the culprit foods and the use of appropriate pharmacological treatments. Furthermore, cross-reactivity plays a significant role in the complexity of this pathology. It is due to a structural similarity between different food proteins, leading to an immunological cross-recognition that can be either asymptomatic or associated with clinical manifestations. The aim of this work is to present food allergy and to demonstrate the risk of allergic cross-reactivity between various allergenic sources. To carry out this study, we relied on literature data focusing on this phenomenon and its relationship with allergenic proteins from different foods. It is reported that cross-reactivity is observed in several foods of animal and plant origin, notably through similarities among milk, egg, and fish proteins, as well as conserved plant proteins such as LTPs and PR-10, which are involved in the pollen-food allergy syndrome. Understanding this phenomenon is essential to improve diagnostic accuracy and to develop more effective therapeutic and dietary strategies