Characterisation of potential novel allergens in the fish parasite .

The parasitic nematode occurs in fish stocks in temperate seas. contamination of fish products is unsavoury and a health concern considering human infection with live larvae (anisakiasis) and allergic reactions to anisakid proteins in seafood. Protein extracts of produce complex band patterns in gel electrophoresis and IgE-immunostaining.

Food allergens in mattress dust in Norwegian homes - a potentially important source of allergen exposure.

Background: Sensitization to food allergens and food allergic reactions are mostly caused by ingesting the allergen, but can also occur from exposure via the respiratory tract or the skin. Little is known about exposure to food allergens in the home environment.

Objective: The objective of this study was firstly to describe the frequency of detection of allergens from fish, egg, milk, and peanut in mattress dust collected from homes of 13-year-old adolescents and secondly to identify home characteristics associated with the presence of food allergen contamination in dust.

An extended study of seroprevalence of anti-Anisakis simplex IgE antibodies in Norwegian blood donors.

During the last decade, cases of the fish parasite Anisakis simplex infection and allergy in human have increased in countries with high fish consumption. Our aim was to perform an extended seroprevalence study of anti-IgE antibodies against this parasite in Norway, one of the high fish-consuming countries. At the Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine and the Laboratory of Clinical Biochemistry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway, two main groups of anonymized serum samples were collected; the first (n = 993) from recently recruited blood donors (designated 'BDO') and the second (n = 414) from patient with total IgE levels ≥1000 kU/l (designated 'IGE+').

Structural and immunological characterization of recombinant Pan b 1, a major allergen of northern shrimp, Pandalus borealis.

Background: Shellfish allergy is one of the major causes of life-threatening allergic reactions to food. The shrimp species Pandalus borealis is the commercially most important coldwater shrimp species, and its protein extract is commonly used in shrimp allergy diagnostics. However, the DNA sequence of its major allergen, tropomyosin, designated Pan b 1, was not previously described.

Severe allergic reactions to food in Norway: a ten year survey of cases reported to the food allergy register.

The Norwegian Food Allergy Register was established at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in 2000. The purpose of the register is to gain information about severe allergic reactions to food in Norway and to survey food products in relation to allergen labelling and contamination. Cases are reported on a voluntary basis by first line doctors, and submitted together with a serum sample for specific IgE analysis.