Lisha Li,* Junda Li,* Kai Guan

Department of Allergy, Beijing Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Diagnosis and Treatment on Allergic Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100730, People’s Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Kai Guan, Department of Allergy, Beijing Key Laboratory of Precision Medicine for Diagnosis and Treatment on Allergic Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Dermatologic and Immunologic Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 010-69156346, Email dr_guankai@126.com

Abstract: Pollen-food allergy syndrome is an IgE-mediated allergic reaction arising from cross-reactive homologous allergens found in both food and pollen. Allergens, such as pathogenesis-related protein class 10 and profilin, usually trigger oropharyngeal itching and numbness in patients, whereas lipid transfer proteins tend to induce anaphylaxis. This article presents a case study of an individual with Artemisia pollen allergy who experienced anaphylaxis after consuming red fruit ginseng, a perennial herb belonging to the Campanulaceae family. This study revealed a novel allergen component mediating cross-allergy between Artemisia pollen and food, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, which has not been documented in the literature concerning the pollen-food allergy syndrome. Fructose-bisphosphate aldolase tends to induce anaphylaxis in patients with Artemisia pollen-allergy and warrants clinicians’ attention.

Keywords: allergens, pollen-food allergy syndrome, anaphylaxis