|
SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2006
11/30/06
Allergy to goat and sheep milk without allergy to cow's milk
Summary
Background - Most children allergic to cow's milk (CM) will also react to goat or sheep milk (GSM). Indeed it has been thought that almost all GSM allergies occur in individuals with CM allergy.
Findings - Wal et al of several institutions in France investigated 28 children with documented severe allergic reactions to GSM but who tolerated CM products. They found that such children tended to be older than CM- allergic children. They reacted to allergens in the casein, but not the whey, fraction of GSM. The serum of these children contained IgE antibodies which bound to GSM casein but did not bind to the casein in CM. Furthermore, CM casein did not inhibit the in vitro binding of such anti-GSM IgE antibodies to GSM casein.
Reference
Allergy 2006;61:1358-65
Editor's Comments
These findings suggest that allergies to GSM without CM allergy are certainly not rare. Although this study, carried out in France, involved a population where GSM products are eaten more frequently than in the USA, there has been an increase in the USA in the consumption of cheeses using GSM. Thus, physicians must be alert to possible GSM allergy even in those who tolerate CM.
|