Allergy to serum albumin

Allergy to serum albumin is a frequent disorder that is clearly under-diagnosed at present. There are multiple routes of sensitisation, given that albumin is ubiquitously present in diverse biological fluids. Beef albumin is the most frequently reported cause of this type of allergy, and it is frequently found to cross-react with albumin from other animals. The clinical manifestations are varied: recurrent diarrhea, atopic dermatitis, oral allergy syndrome, angioedema and anaphylaxis may be caused by allergy to albumin. Serum albumin present in cat and dog danders may cause rhinitis or asthma. Cross-reactions between different albumins are well known, for example, between pork and cat and between eggs and milk or chicken. Diagnosis can be confirmed by skin prick tests with purified albumin (s) and/or bydetection of specific IgE antibodies. According to the clinical symptoms, we recommend careful heating of any incriminated food, avoidance of contact with cats or dogs when such allergies exist, and, of course, treatment of symptoms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]