Allergy Free Eggs

It may seem a little science fictionish, but researchers at Deakin’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences in Australia believe they can modify the proteins within egg whites to produce chickens which will lay allergy-free eggs.

Maybe we can also answer that age-old question- "Which came first, the chicken or the egg? 

In this case, the egg wins.

Researchers at Deakin, in collaboration with CSIRO in Geelong and the Poultry Co-operative Research Centre, state that there are four proteins in egg white that cause allergic reactions. They have found a way to effectively switch off those allergens in the egg, which will make a chicken that will then lay eggs free of allergens.

This could lead to a flu vaccine free of egg allergen and may even lead to bakery items and other commercially available foods that can be labelled as containing "allergen-free eggs". 

While the research is expected to take another three years to complete, there is a possibility of allergy-free vaccines in five years. 

This leads me to wonder if allergens can also be switched off in peanuts, dairy and other foods that cause allergic reactions for many people.

Stay tuned!

Egg Allergy and Flu Vaccine Recommendations

It's flu vaccine time again. We've never gotten the flu shot for my egg allergic son, but this year the consensus in the medical community seems to be that most people with egg allergy can tolerate the vaccine. We will be doing a flu desensitization at the allergist's office on Monday. That involves a skin test with a control and the actual vaccine. Depending upon the results of that, the vaccine may be administered all at once, or in smaller doses.

We always have the doctor's office order Thimerasol-free flu vaccine for our family. No need for extra mercury, right? I found this link recently that lists each flu vaccine manufacturer and the amount of egg (ovalbumin) and thimerasol in their serum.

Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns about egg or mercury in your shot.

...and wish us luck on Monday...

Food Allergies and News From Annual Conference of ACAAI

Last week, the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) held its annual meeting in Phoenix. The organization, established in 1942, is made up of over 5500 health professionals and is dedicated to improving patient care in the areas of allergy and immunology.

Presenters at the meeting shared studies and research, much of it pertaining to food allergy. I've tracked down a few pieces of relevant presentations. As more is released, I'll share it. In the meantime, this will be of interest to those of us in the food allergy arena:

In a session titled "The Ability of Adults and Children to Visually Identify Peanuts and Tree Nuts", Co-authors: Todd L. Hostetler, MD, and ACAAI Member Bryan Martin, MD, (The Ohio State University/Nationwide Children's Hospital) report on a study in which only 50% of nut allergic people (ages 6 and up) could identify a picture of the nut they are are allergic to.

In "Adverse Reactions to H1N1 Vaccine after Tolerating Seasonal Flu Immunization", Amber M. Patterson, MD, (The Ohio State University/Nationwide Children's Hospital) says that tolerance to flu vaccine one year does not suggest future tolerance as the amount of egg in the vaccine varies widely.

In "If Kissing or Sex Leaves You Tingly, Is It Love or Allergies?" Dr. Sami Bahna talked about how allergic reactions to kissing and other intimate acts are more common for those with food and medication allergies.

Something else I've been watching for awhile is the use of Chinese herbs as a cure for peanut allergy. There was a session at the meeting, "Chinese herbs can complement proven allergy treatments", in which it was reported that Food Allergy Herbal Formula, previously shown to reduce anaphylactic reactions in peanut allergic mice, has now been shown to be safe for humans. Sounds promising!

Dr. Bahna, president of ACAAI, raised the ire of some in the food allergy community with several statements about bans 9or not) of peanuts in schools and airplanes.  Check it out and see what you think.

For more information on the ACAAI annual meeting, scroll through the Twitter conversation. More information about the organization can be found at their website.

Did any of these reports have a specific interest for you? I'm thrilled with the continued research on all fronts of food allergy. Let's continue to talk about egg allergy and flu vaccine and peanut allergy bans and promising food allergy cures. Let's keep making forward progress!

Flu Vaccine for Egg Allergic?

The Food Allergy Asssistant received many comments on the post related to HINI vaccine and egg allergy. There is much confusion and alarm for our children with egg allergies who are affected by the egg-based method for making flu vaccine. I've done more research and this is what I found:

There is much interest in a cell-based flu vaccine that would be safe for those with egg allergy.The technology currently used to make our chicken egg-based flu vaccine is over 50 years old.The new technology is animal cell based, rather than egg based. This process could save weeks in manufacture time and is less likely to become contaminated.

One company, Novartis, is close. They are building a plant in Holly Springs, NC with hopes of completion in 2010 or 2011. Novartis clinical trials of a cell based flu vaccine in the U.K. have been successful. The Wall Street Journal reports possible U.S. shipment of cell-based swine flu vaccine in December or January.

Let's keep in touch. We may be able to get cell-based flu vaccine this season. My hope would be that it goes to allergist offices first...

Check out this NY Times article regarding cell-based flu vaccine.