In vivo and in vitro evaluation of the residual allergenicity of partially hydrolysed infant formulas (original) (raw)

In order to understand why non-atopic people do not have adverse symptoms to food antigens which enter the circulation after eating, 8 non-atopic and 10 atopic eczema- and milk-allergic subjects were challenged with milk, and the types of circulating immune complexes formed were analysed. Although the amount of beta-lactoglobulin incorporated into complexes did not differ statistically between the groups, the type of immune complex did. Of the non-atopic individuals, 5 formed IgA and 2 IgG complexes. Of the milk-allergic group, all showed a rise in at least one type; 5 formed IgA, 7 IgG, 6 IgE, and 6 formed C1q-binding complexes. Our data suggest that serum IgA is concerned in safe food antigen handling in non-atopic people, and that the differences in the type of immune complexes formed in response to antigen challenge may underlie the systemic symptoms of food allergy.

The immunological mechanism underlying Immunoglobuline E (IgE)-mediated cow’s milk allergy has been subject to investigations for many years. Identification of the key immune cells (mast cells, B cells) and molecules (IgE) in the allergic process has led to the understanding that avoidance of IgE-crosslinking epitopes is effective in the reduction of allergic symptoms but it cannot be envisioned as a treatment. For the treatment and prevention of IgE-mediated cow’s milk allergy, it is thought that the induction of a sustained state of immunological tolerance is needed. In this review, we will discuss various approaches aimed at achieving immunological tolerance and their success. Furthermore, we will speculate on the involved immunological mechanism.

Predicting reaction threshold and severity are important to improve the management of food allergy, however the determinants of, and relationship between, these parameters are significant knowledge gaps. Identifying robust predictors could enable the reliable risk-stratification of food-allergic individuals. In this series of young people with CM-allergy undergoing DBPCFC – the largest reported in the literature – we did identify any baseline marker which predicted the occurrence of anaphylaxis at challenge, consistent with existing data. There is one report of IgE-sensitisation being predictive of severity in CM-allergy, however the authors included non-reactive patients in their analysis which significantly skewed the analyses, resulting in misleading conclusions. IgE-sensitisation in our cohort, particularly to casein, was predictive of LOAEL. Including an assessment of casein IgE may therefore be of clinical utility when evaluating patients with CM-allergy in the clinical setting.