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 | Sensitivity / Allergy to | References |
Japan
1336 children in nusery school < 6 years of age (12.6% reported symptoms of immediate-type food allergy) |
chicken meat 0.57% (questionnaire) | Iikura et al. 1999 |
1.2 Subjects with Atopic or Other Diseases
Country / Subjects | Allergy / Sensitization | References |
Australia, Melbourne
96 cow's milk allergic children |
chicken meat 9% (adverse reactions reported by parents) | Hill et al. 1997 |
France, Nancy and Toulouse
544 food allergic children |
chicken meat 0.6% (food challenge) | Rance et al. 1999 |
Italy, Parma
31 children with atopic dermatitis |
chicken meat 6.5% (RAST) | Caffarelli et al. 2001 |
South Africa, Cape Town
112 children with atopic dermatitis |
chicken meat 3.8% (reported by parents) | Steinman & Potter 1994 |
Spain, Madrid
25 bird feather allergic patients (SPT, RAST) |
chicken meat 28% (RAST)
chicken meat 20% (SPT) chicken meat 12% (intolerance) |
Anibarro-Bausela et al. 1991 |
Spain, Madrid
27 children with bird-egg syndrome |
chicken meat 22% (self-reported symptoms) | Anibarro Bausela et al. 1997 |
Spain, Madrid
8 patients with bird-egg syndrome (21 to 41 years of age) |
chicken meat 100% (SPT, RAST)
chicken meat 50% (symptoms to raw meat) |
Quirce et al. 2001 |
Switzerland, Zurich
402 food allergic adults (study period 1978-87) |
chicken meat 2.5% | Wüthrich 1993 |
Switzerland, Zurich
383 food allergic patients (study period 1990-94) |
chicken meat 2.3% | Etesamifar & Wüthrich 1998 |
USA, Denver, CO
45 food allergic children > 3 years of age |
chicken meat 2.2% (DBFC) | Bock 1982 |
USA, Denver, CO
a) 74 food allergic children < 3 years of age b) 111 food allergic children between 3 and 19 years of age |
a) chicken meat 0% (DBPCFC)
b) chicken meat 1.8% (DBPCFC) |
Bock & Atkins 1990 |
USA, Durham, NC
40 atopic children with food allergy |
chicken meat 5% (DBPCFC) | Sampson & Albergo 1984 |
USA, Durham, NC
113 children with atopic dermatitis |
chicken meat 17% (SPT)
chicken meat 2.7% (DBPCFC) |
Sampson & McCaskill 1985 |
USA, Little Rock, AR
165 patients with atopic dermatitis |
chicken meat 10% (SPT) from which 13% were DBPCFC-positive (n=16) | Burks et al. 1998 |
USA, New Orleans, LA
43 subjects with mammalian meat sensitivity |
chicken meat 44% (grid immunoblot) | Ayuso et al. 1999 |
Yugoslavia, Zagreb
35 men employed in the processing of animal food (studied for respiratory symptoms and immunological status) |
chicken meat 31% (SPT) | Zuskin et al.1992 |
1.3 Prevalence of Associated Allergies
Country / Subjects | Sensitivity / Allergy to | References |
USA, New Orleans, LA
57 subjects with suspected meat allergy |
beef 73%
lamb 71% pork 58% vension 59% chicken 41% turkey 38% (grid immunoblot) |
Ayuso et al. 1999 |
USA, San Diego, CA / Little
Rock, AR
3 subjects with poultry allergy |
chicken 100%
turkey 100% dove 100% quail 100% egg 0% (SPT) |
Kelso et al. 1999 |
Country / Subjects | Allergy / Sensitivity | References |
Spain, Madrid
27 children with bird-egg syndrome |
At the begin of study 2 children presented symptoms after ingestion of chicken meat; at 4 years follow-up chicken meat challenges were negative (oral challenge) | Anibarro Bausela et al. 1997 |
3 Symptoms of Chicken Meat Allergy
Symptoms & Case Reports | References |
systemic reactions
anaphylaxis (1) symptoms on skin and mucous membranes
gastrointestinal symptoms
respiratory symptoms
* to raw meat, tolerate cooked |
(1) David 1984
(2) Anibarro Bausela et al. 1997 (3) Escribano et al. 1998 (4) Vila et al. 1998 (5) Kelso et al. 1999 (6) Quirce et al. 2001 |
Threshold for Elicitation of Symptoms
A dose of 50 g chicken meat induced allergic symptoms in 2 chicken meat allergic children (oral challenge) (1) |
(1) Anibarro Bausela et al. 1997 |
4 Diagnostic Features of Chicken Meat
Allergy
Parameters / Subjects | Outcome | References |
Skin Test, RAST
2 patients with positive DBPCFC to chicken meat |
One patient had positve SPT and negative RAST and the other hat negative SPT and positive RAST | Sampson & Albergo 1984 |
IgE
Patients with isolated chicken or poultry meat allergy |
No sensitization to egg yolk protein (chicken serum albumin), but IgE-binding to several proteins <70 kDa | (1) Liccardi et al. 1997
(2) Cahen et al. 1998 (3) Kelso et al. 1999 |
Proteins / Glycoproteins | Allergen Nomenclature* | References |
Chicken serum albumin [66 /
70 kDa]
identical to alpha-levitin (egg yolk) |
Gal d 5 | de Blay et al. 1994, Szepfalusi et al. 1994 |
Allergens: 21, 23, and 50 kDa (distinct bands); 13, 27, and 33 kDa (faint bands) | Cahen et al. 1998 | |
Allergens:17, 20, 24, 28, 31, 45, 66, and 150 kDa | Ayuso et al. 1999 |
6.1 Sensitization to Allergens of
Chicken Meat
Country / Subjects | Sensitivity | References |
Spain, Madrid
8 patients with bird-egg syndrome (21 to 41 years of age) |
chicken serum albumin 100% (SPT, RAST) | Quirce et al. 2001 |
USA, Greenville, NC
1 patient with bird-egg syndrome |
chicken meat, egg yolk, chicken and pigeon serum, and phosvitin (RAST, RAST inhibition) | Hoffman & Guenther 1988 |
USA, New Orleans, LA
57 subjects with suspected meat allergy |
chicken tropomyosin in 1 of 57
(Grid immunoblot) |
Ayuso et al. 1999 |
Extract / Purified Allergens | Methods | References |
Chicken Meat | After homogenization meat was extracted by PBS buffer (pH 7.2) for 3 hours at 4°C, centrifuged, fat removed and the supernatant concentrated by ultracentrifugation; aliquots stored at -20°C | Ayuso et al. 1999 |
Cross-Reacting Allergens | Subjects / Methods | References |
Chicken Meat (Egg White)
egg white, chicken serum, chicken meat |
egg allergic patients (quantitative immunoelectrophoresis) | Langeland 1983 |
Chicken Serum (Egg Yolk)
egg yolk, chicken serum |
1 patient with egg allergy: Up to 100% inhibition of IgE- binding to egg yolk by chicken serum and egg yolk (RAST inhibition) | Hoffman & Guenther 1988 |
Chicken Serum Albumin (Hen's
Egg)
chicken liver, meat, and hen's egg proteins* |
Specific serum IgE against chicken serum albumin (livetin), albumin and ovotransferrin from hen's egg and against chicken serum, liver, and meat (RAST, SPT, 1 patient) | Vouillot et al. 1992 |
Chicken Serum Albumin (Hen's
Egg)
chicken serum, feathers, egg yolk |
1 egg allergic patient: >90% inhibition of IgE binding to egg yolk by livetins, feather extracts, and chicken serum albumin; no inhibition with ovomucoid (immunoblot, RAST inhibition) | Quirce et al. 1998 |
Chicken Serum Albumin (Hen's
Egg)
chicken serum albumin, ovotransferrin from hen's egg white |
Only partial cross-reactivity between chicken albumin and ovotransferrin (Gal d 3) (ELISA inhibition, 8 patients with bird-egg syndrome, and SPT and RAST sensitivity to chicken meat) | Quirce et al. 2001 |
Chicken Meat (Turkey)
chicken and turkey meat |
Cross-reactivity between chicken and turkey meat allergens (immunoblot inhibition, 2 poultry allergic patients) | Cahen et al. 1998 |
Chicken Serum Albumin (Dog
Albumin)
dog albumin* |
Patients with dog albumin specific serum IgE: cross- reactivity with purified chicken albumin (histamine release test) | Spitzauer et al. 1994 |
9 Stability of Chicken Meat Allergens
Treatment | Effects | References |
Heat (Chicken Meat)
cooked chicken meat |
Positive SPT to raw meat and negative SPT to cooked meat in a meat allergic patient | Kanny et al. 1998 |
Heat (Chicken Meat)
raw and cooked chicken meat (140°C, 20 min) |
46% of sera showed IgE binding to raw meat only, 25%
of sera to heated meat only, and 29% of sera showed IgE binding to both
raw and heated meat (24 sera from chicken meat allergic subjects, grid
immunoblot)
Allergens detected in raw and heated meat: 17, 20, 24, 28, 31, and 66 kDa proteins; a 45 and a 150 kDa protein were heat labile, while several neoallergens in the range of 14 to 90 kDa were detected in heated meat (SDS-PAGE immunoblot, 18 chicken meat sensitive patient's sera) |
Ayuso et al. 1999 |
Heat (Chicken Serum Albumin)
heated chicken serum albumin (90°C, 30 min) |
IgE reactivity to chicken albumin was reduced by 88% after heating (RAST inhibition, 8 patients with positive SPT and RAST to chicken serum albumin) | Quirce et al. 2001 |
10.1 Chicken Meat Allergen Sources
Reported Adverse Reactions | References |
Chicken Meat | see 2 Symptoms of Chicken Meat Allergy |
Potential Adverse Reactions | References |
Pharmaceuticals (Vaccines)
2 of 3 patients with chicken meat allergy had positive SPT to yellow fever vaccine (1) |
(1) Kelso et al. 1999 |