Identification of a 27 kDa protein in patients with anaphylactic reactions to mango.

ABSTRACT

Mango fruit has become increasingly popular in recent years. We report on 2 patients who developed anaphylactic reactions after the ingestion of fresh mango. Allergy to mango was confirmed by a positive skin prick test result and positive cellular allergen stimulation test results. Neither of the patients had detectable mango-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels. Results were validated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis immunoblotting and analyzed using Quantiscan.We identified 2 major allergens with a molecular weight of 27 kDa in both patients, in addition to a 15 kDa allergen in 1 patient and a 32 kDa allergen in the other. Currently available IgE systems seem to be lacking these mango allergens and as such are probably unsuitable for diagnosing type 1 sensitization to mango. Skin prick testing with fresh mango fruit therefore seems to be a much more reliable test method for clinical practice.