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Food Allergy: Our Evolving Understanding of Its Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment

  • Pediatric Allergy and Immunology (WK Dolen, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Food allergy is defined as an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity response to ingested food with allergic symptoms ranging from urticaria to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Food allergy is thought to develop because of (1) failed induction of tolerance upon initial exposure to food antigen or (2) breakdown of established tolerance to food antigen. We review current understanding of the pathogenesis, epidemiology, and natural history of food allergy, including the unconventional IgE-mediated food allergy to mammalian meat known as alpha-gal food allergy. We highlight emerging data on food allergy treatment and prevention, emphasizing the growing appeal of manipulating the gut microenvironment using probiotics and helminth products to blunt systemic allergic responses to food.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Andrew Spector and Pamela Steele for critical review of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, 030 MacNider Hall, CB 7231, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7231, USA

    Onyinye I. Iweala & A. Wesley Burks

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Correspondence to Onyinye I. Iweala.

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Dr. Iweala declares no conflicts of interest. Dr. Burks has the following disclosures: Advisory Board: Stallergenes; NIH AITC; Competing Relationships: Allergen Research Corporation - Grantee; National Institutes of Health - Grantee; FARE - Chair, Research Advisory Board; Hycor Biomedical - Grantee; Consultant: GLG Research; Adept Field Solutions; Genentech; First Manhattan Co; Insys Therapeutics; ActoGeniX; SRA International; Sanofi US Services; Valeant Pharmaceuticals North America LLC; Stocks: Alltertein; Mastcell Pharaceuticals.

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Iweala, O.I., Burks, A.W. Food Allergy: Our Evolving Understanding of Its Pathogenesis, Prevention, and Treatment. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 16, 37 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-016-0616-7

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