f242 Cherry

Allergens within Food of Plant Origin

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  • Latin name: Prunus avium
  • Family: Rosaceae
  • Source material: Frozen berry
Food
In general, the larger the number of atopic problems in an individual, the greater the chances of food being involved. 

Allergen Exposure

Europe leads the world in production. The cultivated varieties have large, red, purple or yellow berries.

Potential Cross-Reactivity

Botanically, cherries are more closely related to plums than to peaches or apricots. Like other Prunus fruits, cherries contain a variety of allergenic proteins. Pru a 1 is an 18 kD protein with almost 70% homology to Bet v 1 (3) and another. major cherry allergen is Pru a 2, 23 kD (4), an analog to the 9 kD peach allergen Pru p 1, profilin (4).

Clinical Experience

Cherry may cause oral alergy syndrome (5). In a group of 100 patients with confirmed allergy to fruits and vegetables, 13 were shown to react to cherries (1). The prevalence of sensitivity to peach and plum in the same group was 30 and 6 respectively. Skin tests of patients with clinical history of cherry sensitivity with fresh fruit was positive in all five tested. Commercial extract gave a positive reaction only in two (1). Dose-dependent basophil histamine release was obtained with cherry in birch pollen sensitive-patients with fruit allergy (2).
 
Review
Botanically, cherries are more closely related to plums than to peaches or apricots. Europe leads the world in production. The cultivated varieties have large, red, purple or yellow berries. In a group of 100 patients with confirmed allergy to fruits and vegetables, 13 were shown to react to cherries (1). The prevalence of sensitivity to peach and plum in the same group was 30 and 6 respectively. Skin tests of patients with clinical history of cherry sensitivity with fresh fruit were positive in all five tested. Commercial extract gave a positive reaction only in two (1). Dose-dependent basophil histamine release was obtained with cherry in birch pollen-sensitive patients with fruit allergy (2). Like other Prunus fruits, cherries contain a variety of allergenic proteins. Pru a 1, is an 18 kD protein with almost 70% homology to Bet v 1 (3). Recombinant Pru a 1 was shown to be a strong histamine releaser from basophils of cherry-allergic patients and specific IgE antibodies against the protein were found in 17/19 of the patients studied. Other major cherry allergens are Pru a 2, 23 kD (4), an analog to the 9 kD peach allergen Pru p 1, profilin, and a 30 kD allergen possibly specific for cherry (5-6).

References:

    1. Ortolani C, Ispano M, Pastorello EA, Ansaloni R, Magri GC. Comparison of results of skin prick tests (with fresh foods and commercial food extracts) and RAST in 100 patients with oral allergy syndrome. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1989;83(3):683-90.
    2. Kleine-Tebbe J, Galleani M, Jeep S, Pilz B, Baisch A, Kunkel G. Basophil histamine release in patients with birch pollen hypersensitivity with and without allergic symptoms to fruits. Allergy 1992;47(6):618-23.
    3. Scheurer S, Metzner K, Haustein D, Vieths S. Molecular cloning, expression and characterization of Pru a 1, the major cherry allergen. Mol Immunol 1997;34(8-9):619-29.
    4. Inschlag C, Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, G OR, et al. Biochemical characterization of Pru a 2, a 23-kD thaumatin-like protein representing a potential major allergen in cherry (Prunus avium). Int Arch Allergy Immunol 1998;116(1):22-8.
    5. Pastorello EA, Ortolani C, Farioli L, et al. Allergenic cross-reactivity among peach, apricot, plum, and cherry in patients with oral allergy syndrome: an in vivo and in vitro study. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1994;94(4):699-707.
    6. Pastorello EA, Incorvaia C, Pravettoni V, et al. New allergens in fruits and vegetables. Allergy 1998;53(46 Suppl):48-51.

2000