Ara h 6 sensitization in peanut allergy: friend, foe or innocent bystander?
SUMMARY
The clinical role of Ara h 6 sensitization in peanut allergy is a current matter of debate. We investigated the role of Ara h 6 sensitization patterns in a sample of young adults from different Italian cities. Sera of 33 patients with specific IgE against Ara h 6 were selected. According to clinical symptoms upon peanut ingestion, patients were divided into severe reaction (SR) and mild-tolerant (MT) subgroups. While the SR group mainly showed sensitization patterns involving Ara h 2 and other major allergenic components, a previously undescribed association between Ara h 6 and Ara h 9 was found in the MT group. This pattern seems to be clustered in Mediterranean Italy and associated with Pru p 3 sensitization. This finding might shed a new light on the role of Ara h 6 sensitization in peanut allergy.
