Seafood Allergy, Toxicity, and Intolerance: A Review

Abstract

Seafood allergies have been increasing their presence in the last 2 decades. Allergic reactions to seafood can range from mild urticarial and oral allergy syndrome to life-threatening anaphylactic reactions. Ingestion of seafood infested with Anisakis larvae can cause a disease known as anisakiasis with symptoms similar to true seafood allergy. Furthermore, some adverse reactions to seafood including histamine fish poisoning (HFP), and intolerance to histamine can trigger clinical symptoms, which, although nonallergic in origin, are similar to true immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic reactions. Because seafood allergy usually remains a lifelong food allergy, this review focuses on the current knowledge on fish and shellfish allergens and emphasizes the importance of differentiating seafood allergy from other allergy-like reactions (anisakiasis, HFP, and intolerance to histamine). Key teaching points: • Fish and shellfish are potent allergens that can provoke serious IgE antibody-mediated adverse reactions in sensitive individuals. • Sensitization to seafood allergens can be achieved by ingestion, inhalation, or skin contact. • Shellfish major allergen, tropomyosin, shares significant homology to arthropods (dust mites and cockroaches). • Accidental exposures to seafood products cross-contaminated with fish or shellfish allergens (hidden allergens) during processing may present a health risk for sensitive individuals. • Allergens of fish parasite A. simplex present common hidden allergens in seafood, particularly in raw and undercooked home-made fish dishes. • Symptoms caused by HFP, histamine intolerance, and anisakiasis are similar to true seafood allergy.

Eating jellyfish: safety, chemical and sensory properties

“…These results may seem strange to swimmers who have been stung by jellyfish but medusozoan‐like members of the phylum Cnidaria are venomous and poisonous animals because of their nematocites/nematocysts, which were not present in our umbrella product. Allergic reactions to seafood are associated mainly with the phyla Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Chordata . The compounds involved in seafood allergy are heat‐stable high‐molecular proteins, with the major allergen in shellfish being tropomyosin.…”

Current Status of the Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtchaticus) and Snow Crab (Chionoecetes opilio) Industries in Norway

“…Thus, in addition to causing allergic reactions in processing workers, it may also cause allergic reactions among consumers of RKC and SC (Motoyama et al 2007;Abdel Rahman et al, 2011). Tropomyosin is heat-stable, and as previously mentioned, its allergenicity may even be enhanced by the cooking process Prester, 2016). Moreover, tropomyosin is able to withstand most known food processing techniques .…”

Proteomic Insights into the Biology of the Most Important Foodborne Parasites in Europe

“…Accurate knowledge and description of the mechanism of action of these proteins can be used in the research on antiparasitic drugs, and help in combating FBPs through detection and/or neutralization [ 31 ]. At the same time, scientists are making great efforts to clarify the sensitization mechanism of various allergenic proteins from food sources, where allergic reactions to food are more often caused by FBP allergens contaminating food products [ 3 , 32 , 33 ].…”