[A case of anaphylaxis due to rose-flavored soft-serve ice cream with pollen food allergy syndrome]

Arerugi. 2013 May;62(5):574-8.
[Article in Japanese]

Abstract

We experienced a 10-year-old boy who had anaphylaxis after eating rose-flavored soft-serve ice cream. The patient felt a sense of discomfort in his throat when eating apple, peach, loquat, Japanese pear, and kiwi fruit. Therefore, we measured specific IgE antibodies to allergen components by ImmunoCAP ISAC. Consequently, the patient gave positive results for all PR-10 proteins from birch, alder, hazel, apple, peach, peanut, hazelnut, and soybean, so we diagnosed him with Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome (PFAS) induced by cross reactivity with pollens of birch family and fruits of rose family. When we conducted the skin prick test as is for red rose syrup because of the belief that anaphylaxis was caused by the rose ingredient contained in rose-flavored soft-serve ice cream, the patient gave a strong positive result. However, the results were negative for rose essence and Food Red No. 2 contained. Subsequently, it was found that red rose syrup contained apple juice. Therefore, we conducted the prick-prick test for apple, and the patient was confirmed to be strongly positive to apple. We thus identified apple as the cause of anaphylaxis. Since there is no legal obligation of labeling specific raw materials when directly selling manufactured and processed food products to general consumers, it is possible for general consumers to mistakenly take them in without knowing the containment of allergic substances. It is believed that the labeling method should be improved in the future.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Anaphylaxis / etiology*
  • Child
  • Cross Reactions
  • Food Hypersensitivity / etiology*
  • Humans
  • Ice Cream / adverse effects*
  • Male
  • Malus / immunology
  • Rosa / immunology*
  • Skin Tests
  • Syndrome