Allergen Data Collection: Sesame Seed (Sesamum indicum)
Internet Symposium on Food Allergens 3(2):93-102 (2001) [http://www.food-allergens.de]
1 Prevalence of Sesame Seed Allergy

Prevalence data are based on different diagnostic procedures. While the prevalence of sensitization (sensitivity) can be estimated by SPT, RAST, and immunoblot, a clinical relevant sensitization (allergy) is evaluated by convincing history (anamnesis) or food challenge tests (ideally by DBPCFC).

1.1 General Population

Prevalence estimates within the author's selected populations are listed. Those that are assigned randomly selected ("unselected") with numbers more than 500 may be regarded as representative of the "general populations". Inclusion criteria may involve circumstances not related to atopic predisposition according to current knowledge.
 
Country / Subjects Allergy / Sensitivity References
Australia, Victoria
a) 332 unselected new-born infants
b) 4078 children with suspected peanut or tree nut allergy (age < 14 years) (study 1990-96)
c) 620 children at risk of atopy (followed from birth for 2 years)
sesame seed 0.42%
(frequency of sesame seed allergy in b), corrected for prevalence ratio to peanut allergy in b) and c), extrapolated by risk of atopy in a)
Hill et al. 1997
UK
16420 randomly selected adults (age of >15 years)
sesame seed 0.04% (interview survey, questionnaire) Emmett et al. 1999

1.2 Subjects with Atopic or Other Diseases
 
Country / Subjects Allergy / Sensitivity References
Australia, Victoria
4078 children with suspected peanut or tree nut allergy (age < 14 years) (study 1990-96)
sesame seed 8.5% (SPT >3+, n=2789) Sporik & Hill 1996
France
80 cases of food- related anaphylaxis (study period 1993-97)
sesame seed 5.0%
(reported to CICBAA databank)
European Commission 1998
France, Nancy and Toulouse
544 food allergic children
sesame seed 0.9% (food challenge) Rance et al. 1999
Netherlands
131 cases of food- induced anaphylaxis
(from 1993-1997)
sesame seed 1.5% (survey, reported to the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute) European Commission 1998
Sweden
61 cases of food- induced anaphylaxis (from 1994-1996)
sesame seed 4.9% (reported to the National Food Administration) European Commission 1998
Switzerland, Bern
22 patients with severe food-induced anaphylaxis (study period 1994-96)
sesame seed 4.5% Rohrer et al. 1998
Switzerland, Zurich
a) 402 food allergic adults (study period 1978-87)
b) 383 food allergic patients (study period 1990-94)
a) sesame seed 1.2%
b) sesame seed 0.5%
(anamnesis, clinical relevance, diagnostic tests)
a) Wüthrich 1993
b) Etesamifar & Wüthrich 1998
UK, Manchester
90 patients expierenced anaphylactic reactions to foods (from 1994-1996)
sesame seed 2.2% (suspected cause of patients' worst reaction) Pumphrey & Stanworth 1996

1.3 Associated Allergies
 
Country / Subjects Allergy / Sensitivity References
USA, Los Angeles, CA
4 patients with history of sesame seed allergy
  RAST Clinical History
sesame seed 75% 100%
almond 25% 0%
peanuts 0% 0%
nuts 0% 25%
Malish et al. 1981
USA, New York, NY 
111 peanut and/or tree nut allergic patients
Sesame specific IgE:
strong correlation (r >0.7) to
hazelnut, brazil nut, and almond;
moderate correlation (r >0.6) to
walnut and pistachio
(RAST)
Sicherer et al. 1998

2 Symptoms of Sesame Seed Allergy
 
Symptoms & Case Reports References
Systemic reactions
anaphylaxis (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18)

Symptoms of skin and mucous membranes
angioedema (2, 4, 11, 7, 15), contact dermatitis (15), facial erythema (16), generalized erythema (6), flush (11, 16, 18), hives (18), ocular itching (14), generalized itching (16), pruritus (6), generalized pruritus (16), conjunctivitis (16), swelling of face (11), urticaria (4, 10, 11, 15), generalized urticaria (13)

Gastrointestinal symptoms
abdominal pain (15, 18), angioedema of tongue and glottis (12), angioedema of the uvula (6), diarrhea (11), dysphagia (11), laryngeal edema (1), pharyngeal edema (3, 11), nausea (11, 16), oral allergy syndrome (15), vomiting (8, 11, 16)

Respiratory symptoms
allergic rhinitis (10, 15, 16), asthma (2, 3, 4, 10, 15), cough (18), dyspnea (11, 14, 18), wheeze (6)

Other symptoms
dizziness (16), drowsiness (11), chills (11), collapse (11)

(1) Rubenstein 1950
(2) Uvitsky 1951
(3) Torsney 1964
(4) Malish et al. 1981
(5) Eechout et al. 1989
(6) Steurich 1989
(7) Cassilda et al. 1991
(8) Chiu & Haydik 1991
(9) James et al. 1991
(10) Keskinen et al. 1991
(11) Kägi & Wüthrich 1993
(12) Vocks et al. 1993
(13) Eberlein-König et al. 1995
(14) Alday et al. 1996
(15) Kanny et al. 1996
(16) Stern & Wüthrich 1998
(17) Asero et al. 1999
(18) Pajno et al. 2000
Onset of Symptoms
Symptoms occurred within a few minutes up to 90 minutes after ingestion of sesame seed flour (7 patients positive to oral provocation tests)
(1) Kanny et al. 1996
Threshold for Elicitation of Symptoms
Oral challenge with doses of 200 mg to 2 g of sesame seeds: positive reactions at 2 g in a patient with history of sesame seed allergy (1)

Provocation with sesame seed flour was positive in 7 of 9 patients: in 1 case at 100 mg dose, in 3 cases at 7 g, and in 3 cases at 10 g; 1 of 2 patients reacted to sesame seed oil at a dose of 3 mL  (double-blind and single-blind oral provocation tests ) (2)

Challenge with sesame seeds was positive in 5 of 6 patients: in 1 case at 100 mg dose, in 3 cases at 7 g, and in 1 case at 10 g; 1 patient reacted to sesame seed oil at a dose of 15 mL  (DBPCFC ) (3)

(1) Eberlein-König et al. 1995
(2) Kanny et al. 1996
(3) Kolopp-Sarda et al. 1997

3 Diagnostic Features of Sesame Seed Allergy
 
Parameters / Subjects Outcome References
SPT and IgE
Sesame seed allergic patient with generalized urticaria
Negative SPT and RAST; positive oral challenge Eberlein-König et al. 1995
SPT and IgE
Sesame seed allergic patients
Positivity in 6 patients in SPT:
commercial extract 50%
crude sesame seeds 100%
Sensitivity of RAST: 28%
Kanny et al. 1996
SPT, RAST, and DBPCFC
12 sesame seed allergic patients
Positivity in SPT (>3 mm):
   commercial extract 0% (n=8)
   crude sesame seeds 64% (n=11)
RAST: 50% (n=10)
DBPCFC: 83% (n=6)
Kolopp-Sarda et al. 1997
SPT, RAST, and DBPCFC
A 45-year old woman with non-IgE-mediated anaphylaxis after ingestion of sesame seeds and sesame oil
SPT and RAST to sesame seed were negative, while DBPCFC with sesame seeds and sesame oil masked in bread were positive Stern & Wüthrich 1998
SPT, RAST, and DBPCFC
A 18-year old woman with non-IgE-mediated anaphylaxis after ingestion of sesame seeds
SPT and RAST to sesame seed were negative, while DBPCFC with sesame seeds masked in bread were positive Pajno et al. 2000
Specifid Serum IgG, IgA, IgE
10 sesame seed allergic patients
Specific IgG to 6-10 sesame seed proteins recognized by 2-9 sera; specific IgA to 5-10 proteins recognized by 1-9 sera; specific IgE to 1 or 3 proteins recognized by 1-6 sera Kolopp-Sarda et al. 1997

4 Composition of Sesame Seed
 

5 Allergens of Sesame Seed
 
Proteins / Glycoproteins Allergen Nomenclature References
2S albumin [10 kDa] Ses i 1 Allergen Nomenclature Sub-Committee 2001
Allergen: 25 kDa   Kolopp-Sarda et al. 1997
Allergen: 14 kDa   Alday et al. 1996
Sesame Profilin   van Ree et al. 1992
Allergens: 10, 12, 15-20, 25, and 30-67 kDa   Asero et al. 1999

5.1 Sensitization to Sesame Seed Allergens
 
Country / Subjects Sensitivity to References
France, Nancy
10 sesame seed allergic patients
Allergen
30 kDa* 20%
25 kDa 60%
14 kDa 10%
* faint intensity
(SDS-PAGE immunoblot)
Kolopp-Sarda et al. 1997
Netherlands, Amsterdam
1 patient with profilin specific serum IgE
Specific IgE against sesame profilin: 8.8% binding
(RAST, L-proline Sepharose bound profilin)
van Ree et al. 1992
USA, Los Angeles, CA
2 patients with history of sesame seed allergy
Protein Fraction Inhibition*
< 8 kDa 29% (54%)
8-20 kDa 60% (59%)
20-40 kDa 57% (54%)
40-62 kDa 28% (73%)
62-84 kDa 25% (69%)
84-105 kDa 12% (60%)
105-126 kDa 0% (63%)
* dilution 1:1000 (dilution 1:100), fractions differ in protein content (density-gradient ultracentrifugation / RAST inhibition)
Malish et al. 1981

6 Isolation & Preparation
 
Extract / Purified Allergens Methods References
Protein extract Seeds extracted with 0.1-M phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) for 2 h at 8°C, followed by centrifugation, vacuum filtration, and desalting on PD 10 columns Vocks et al. 1993
Protein extract Seeds grounded and extracted with 0.1-M Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.4) containing 0.14-M NaCl and deoxycholate, Triton X-100, and Nonidet P-40; followed by ultracentrifugation Kolopp-Sarda et al. 1997


7 Cross-Reactivities
 
Cross-Reacting Allergens Subjects / Methods References
Sesame Seed (Poppy Seed)
sesame and poppy seed allergens
Inhibition of IgE-binding to 10 and 12 kDa sesame seed allergens by poppy seed extract and to 12 kDa poppy seed allergen by sesame seed extract (immunoblot inhibition, 1 patient) Asero et al. 1999
Sesame Seed (Foods)
hazelnuts, rye grain
Decrease of IgE-binding to hazelnut and rye allergens by sesame seed extract (immunoblot inhibition, 2 sesame seed sensitive patients) Vocks et al. 1993
Sesame Seed (Foods)
hazelnuts, rye grain
78 and 91% inhibition of IgE-binding to sesame seed by hazelnut; 57 and 87% inhibition to sesame seed by rye flour (2 sesame seed sensitive patients, RAST inhibition) Seifert et al. 1988

8 Allergenicity of Different Sesame Varieties
 
Varieties / Subjects Differences References
Brown and White Sesame Seeds
6 sesame seed allergic patients
No significant differences in SPT with brown and white sesame seeds Kanny et al. 1996
Brown and White Sesame Seeds
6 sesame seed allergic patients
With the exception of 2 patients no significant differences in SPT with brown and white sesame seeds Kolopp-Sarda et al. 1997

9 Stability of Sesame Seed Allergens
 
Treatment Effects References
Sesame Seed and Oil (Heat)
masked in baked bread
Sesame seeds and sesame oil baked in bread induced allergic reactions in DBPCFC (1 patient) Stern & Wüthrich 1998
Sesame Seed (Heat)
masked in baked bread
Sesame seeds baked in bread induced allergic reactions in DBPCFC (1 patient) Pajno et al. 2000

10 Allergen Sources
 
Reported Adverse Reactions References
Sesame Seeds
After ingestion of sesame seeds (1)
(1) see 2 Symptoms of Sesame Seed Allergy
Falafel Burger (Tahin)
Anaphylactic reaction to falafel vegetable burgers in 3 patients allergic to sesame seeds: the burgers were served together with a white sauce containing sesame seed paste (tahini) (1)
(1) Kägi & Wüthrich 1993
Sesame Oil Containing Products
31 year old man with history of systemic anaphylaxis, asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis, and urticaria after ingestion of a salad containing sesame seed oil (1)
(1) Malish et al. 1981
Various Foods
Allergic reactions in a patient after ingestion of bread, halvah, sesame seeds and oil (1)
Allergic reactions in a patient after ingestion of halvah and pastries (2)
Allergic reactions in 3 patients after ingestion of crackers, sesame seeds, and paste (3)
Allergic reactions in 4 sesame seed allergic patients after ingestion of sesame seeds, halvah candy, hamburger on sesame seed bun; 3 of 4 patients were RAST positive (4)
Allergic reactions in 9 sesame seed allergic patients after ingestion of sesame and rice cake, bakery products, Chinese food, appetizer, halvah, pizza, Turkish cake, breads, and hamburger sandwich (5)
(1) Rubenstein 1950
(2) Uvitsky 1951
(3) Torsney 1964
(4) Malish et al. 1981
(5) Kanny et al. 1996
Cosmetics Containing Sesame Seed Oil
Allergic reactions to lipsticks, moisturizing cream, and body oil containing sesame seed oil in 2 patients with positive SPT to crushed sesame seeds and open tests with products; both were RAST negative
Pecquet et al. 1998
Sesame Seed Dust
Occupational allergy in a 26 year old baker due to sesame seed dust: positive SPT, RAST, and PEF (peak expiratory flow) (1)
Occupational asthma in a baker due to sesame seeds: positive SPT, histamine release, and PEF (1)
(1) Keskinen et al. 1991
(2) Alday et al. 1996

11 Food Allergen Labelling
 
Food Allergen  Labelling / Regulation Status References
International Regulations
Sesame seeds and products of these
labelling not recommended (1) (1) Codex Alimentarius Commission 1999
European Regulations
Sesame seeds and products of these
labelling appropriate / recommendation (1) (1) Bousquet et al. 1998

12 References



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