Wheat protein allergy patterns in allergic and tolerant children
What it found
Children with a proven wheat allergy and children who tolerated wheat showed the same pattern of antibody binding to wheat proteins.
The authors say this means testing for single wheat proteins may not help diagnose wheat allergy.
What they found
Studies in people
Sensitization rates
Sixty-three percent of the tolerant children and 86 percent of the allergic children were sensitized to wheat with more than 0.35 kUA/l in ImmunoCAP analysis.
Major allergens confirmed
The study confirmed the role of α-, ß-, γ-, and ω-gliadins, and LMW glutenin subunits as major allergens. It also found IgE binding to a broad spectrum of water- and salt-soluble protein bands.
Same binding in both groups
Wheat allergic and tolerant patients showed IgE binding to the same protein bands.
ω5-gliadin-specific IgE
Tolerant and allergic children did not significantly differ in levels of ω5-gliadin-specific IgE.
What the authors conclude
“Children with challenge proven clinical relevant food allergy and tolerant ones had a similar spectrum of IgE binding to the same protein bands.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that children with challenge proven clinical relevant food allergy and tolerant ones had a similar spectrum of IgE binding to the same protein bands.
- They say these findings imply that component-resolved diagnostics might not be helpful in the diagnostic work-up of wheat allergy.
How it was done
Wheat is one of the most common food allergens in early childhood. The authors wanted to know whether the pattern of IgE binding to wheat proteins differs between wheat allergic and clinically tolerant children, to find proteins useful for component-resolved diagnostics.
They analyzed sera from 106 children with suspected wheat allergy. Of these, 44 had clinically relevant wheat allergy and 62 were tolerant upon oral food challenge. They tested wheat-specific IgE using the ImmunoCap system and immunoblots against water and salt soluble, and water-insoluble protein fractions. 40 randomly selected sera were analyzed for specific IgE to ω5-gliadin.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study looked at children with suspected wheat allergy, so the results may not apply to all people.
- It cannot show whether testing for single wheat proteins would work in other groups or for other purposes.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Charité Universitätsmedizin, Germany; Free University, Germany; University of Potsdam, Germany
The paper
- Title
- Wheat protein recognition pattern in tolerant and allergic children
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Sievers S, Rawel HM, Ringel KP, Niggemann B, Beyer K (2016). Wheat protein recognition pattern in tolerant and allergic children. Pediatric allergy and immunology. doi:10.1111/pai.12502PubMed 26498269DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error