Study of the cross-reactivity of fish allergens based on a questionnaire and blood testing.

BACKGROUND: Parvalbumin and collagen have been identified as cross-reactive allergens for fish allergies. Although doctors realize that various fish elicit allergies, the targets of food allergen labeling laws were only mackerels and salmons in Japan and mackerels in South Korea. This study aimed to reveal the causative species for fish allergy via questionnaires and blood tests. METHODS: Questionnaire research was conducted in Japan via the internet concerning allergies for fish-allergic patients or their family members. Next, IgE reactivities and cross-reactivities of 26 fish species were analyzed using sera obtained from 16 Japanese patients who were allergic to fish parvalbumin or collagen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and inhibition ELISA. RESULTS: Questionnaire research revealed that 88% patients cannot eat mackerel and salmon in addition to other fish. In addition, 85% respondents were not satisfied with the current food allergen labeling law. In ELISA analyses, we clarified that pooled serum obtained from patients with fish parvalbumin-specific allergies exhibited IgE reactivity to the extracts of most fish species, and pooled serum obtained from patients with fish collagen-specific allergies displayed IgE reactivity to the extracts of all types of fish. Inhibition ELISA experiments revealed cross-reactivities of parvalbumin or collagen to extracts from all fish tested. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients with fish allergies displayed allergic symptoms following the intake of various fish species. In addition, fish parvalbumin and collagen were causative factors of fish allergy and were highly cross-reactive fish panallergens. Therefore, current laws should be revised in Japan and South Korea.

Whole-exome sequencing of pathogenic genes in a family with congenital heart disease: A case report.

RATIONALE: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect and an important cause of noninfectious deaths in infants and children. It has high prevalence globally, placing an enormous burden on society and families. Studies of individuals with hereditary or sporadic CHD have provided strong evidence for its genetic basis. The aim of this study was to identify causative gene variants in a Chinese family with congenital heart disease. PATIENT CONCERNS AND DIAGNOSES: Three generations of a CHD family were recruited. Proband III.9 was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at age 11 months, and the echocardiogram showed arterial ductus arteriosus, with a left-to-right shunt at the level of the arteries. Precedent III.10 was a twin of Proband III.9 who was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at age 11 months, in whom the echocardiogram revealed an arterial ductus arteriosus, an unenclosed patent ductus arteriosus, and a left to right shunt at the level of the arteries (second figure). III.8 was diagnosed with congenital heart disease at age 15, but echocardiography in this study showed no abnormalities. No cardiac abnormalities were detected in any of his parents, grandparents, or maternal grandparents. We performed whole-exome sequencing on CHD sufferers and their unexpressing family members to investigate the genetic causes of CHD in this family line. Exome sequencing identified 4 mutation sites in this family line. The variant c.3245A>G (p.His1082Arg) of the AMER1 gene was consistent with concomitant X-chromosome recessive inheritance, the variant c.238G>C (p.Val80Leu) of the KCNE1 gene was consistent with autosomal accessory inheritance, and the other 2 variants did not conform to the law of the mode of inheritance of the disease. OUTCOMES: The first identified variant, c.3245A>G (p.His1082Arg) of the AMER1 gene, with X-chromosome recessive inheritance, and the variant c.238G>C (p.Val80Leu) of the KCNE1 gene, which has been reported as autosomal dominant, may be the causative agent of CHD in this family line. These findings broaden the genetic scope of congenital heart disease and could help in the development of targeted drugs for the treatment of congenital heart disease.