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Allergic Reactions to Anisakis Found in Fish

  • FOOD ALLERGY (D ATKINS, SECTION EDITOR)
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Abstract

The food-borne parasite Anisakis is an important hidden food allergen. Anisakis is a parasitic nematode which has a third-stage larval form that infects mainly fish, and ingestion of contaminated seafood can result in severe allergic reactions. Symptoms experienced due to exposure to this parasite include gastrointestinal disorders, urticaria, dermatitis, asthma and even anaphylaxis. Accurate prevalence data of allergic sensitisation to Anisakis are difficult to estimate due to the lack of well-designed population-based studies. Current diagnostic approaches rely on the detection of serum IgE antibodies to allergenic proteins, which however demonstrate considerable immunological cross-reactivity to other invertebrate allergens. While exposure to this parasite seems to increase due to the increasing consumption of seafood worldwide, the immunology of infection and allergic sensitization is not fully understood.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the NRF, South Africa, for financial support and the Australian Biological Resource Study (ABRS) to AL. AL is supported by an ARC Future Fellowship.

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Dr. Lopata and Dr. Nieuwenhuizen declare that they have nothing to disclose.

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  1. Natalie E. Nieuwenhuizen

    Present address: Department of Immunology, Max Planck Institut fuer Infektionsbiologie, Chariteplatz 1, 10117, Berlin, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Pharmacy and Molecular Science, Centre for Biodiscovery and Molecular Development of Therapeutics, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia

    Andreas L. Lopata

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  1. Natalie E. Nieuwenhuizen
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Correspondence to Andreas L. Lopata.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Food Allergy.

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Nieuwenhuizen, N.E., Lopata, A.L. Allergic Reactions to Anisakis Found in Fish. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 14, 455 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-014-0455-3

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