Effect of heat treatment on milk and egg proteins allergenicity.

Background: Heating destroys many conformational epitopes and reduces allergenicity of some foods. IgE-epitope binding has been shown to be different among patients who outgrew their cow's milk or hen's egg allergy and those who did not. A significant proportion of milk- or egg-allergic children are tolerant to these foods in their baked forms.

Basophil reactivity, wheal size, and immunoglobulin levels distinguish degrees of cow's milk tolerance.

Background: In our previous study about 75% of children with cow's milk allergy tolerated baked milk products, which improved their prognosis and quality of life.

Objective: We sought to identify biomarkers of varying degrees of clinical tolerance among a cohort of children with cow's milk allergy.

Methods: One hundred thirty-two subjects were initially classified as baked milk-reactive, baked milk-tolerant, or having "outgrown milk allergy" based on the results of oral food challenges.

Tolerance to extensively heated milk in children with cow's milk allergy.

Background: Cow's milk allergy is the most common childhood food allergy. Previously we noted that children who outgrew their milk allergy had milk-specific IgE antibodies primarily directed against conformational epitopes; those with persistent milk allergy also had IgE antibodies directed against specific sequential epitopes.

Objective: Because high temperature largely destroys conformational epitopes, we hypothesized that some children with milk allergy would tolerate extensively heated (baked) milk products.

Osteoarticular infectious complications in patients with primary immunodeficiencies.

Purpose Of Review: To describe the incidence and management of various infectious arthritides in selected primary immunodeficiency states.

Recent Findings: Joint complications have been a well recognized finding in patients with primary immunodeficiencies for many years. Many are clearly infectious in etiology, but other apparently noninfectious joint abnormalities similar to rheumatoid arthritis have been shown to be due to an underlying infectious trigger.