Lysozyme, Egg nGal d 4, k208
Egg white contains about 24 protein fractions and is considered highly allergenic. Gal d 4 is the main egg molecule responsible for allergic reactions in children with egg allergies. About 30-40% of patients with egg allergy are sensitized to Gal d 4.
Allergy component diagnostics is based on the detection of sensitization to allergens at the molecular level using natural highly purified and recombinant allergen molecules, i.e. their individual allergy components.
There are 3 main advantages of doing this analysis:
- Allergocomponent diagnostics, makes it possible to differentiate true sensitization from sensitization due to cross-reactivity. This data will help determine the sources of allergies: one single allergy, several closely related ones, or many different ones.
- Molecular allergodiagnostics will eliminate the need for provocative tests and allow you to give clearer recommendations regarding the elimination of contact with allergens.
- Molecular allergodiagnostics is necessary in the selection of ASIT, in persons with polyvalent (multiple) sensitization, the most accurate way to determine the most important allergen for which therapy will be performed.
The allergenic substance contains not one but several protein components that can act as allergens:
Major allergen components are the main allergenic molecules, antibodies to which are found in more than half – 50% of patients in the population responding to this source. They are resistant to heat and more immunogenic. They are large in size and are contained in this allergen in larger quantities.
Minor are secondary smaller in size and less immunogenic allergenic molecules that are usually contained in smaller amounts in the allergen, but are present in many different allergens, sometimes not closely related, providing cross-allergy. That is, allergens with a prevalence of more than 50% are called major allergens and less than 10% are called minor allergens.
Eggs are considered one of the most common sources of food allergies, especially in infants and children, with a prevalence rate of 1.3 to 1.6%. However, the prevalence of egg allergy in adults is less than 0.25%.
Gal d 4 makes up about 3-3.4% of the total protein content in egg white and has antibacterial properties. Lysozyme is a thermolabile protein and even amenable to enzymatic cleavage. It has been found that the process of heating or enzymatic cleavage of Gal d4 reduces its allergenicity. Lysozyme is used in the food (cheese, wine, etc.) and pharmaceutical (e.g. eye drops) industries as a preservative due to its antibacterial properties. Egg allergy patients with SiGe to Gal d 4 may unexpectedly react to the latent form of egg lysozyme in pharmaceutical and food products.
People with suspected egg allergies may experience allergic reactions such as anaphylaxis, gastrointestinal symptoms, skin reactions, and respiratory diseases after consuming egg white.