Allergy to egg is highly frequent in childhood. In general, children allergic to egg react principally to the ingestion of egg white. Egg yolk contains various proteins but the major allergens are contained in egg white. The principal allergens are ovalbumin, ovomucoid, ovotransferrin, and lysozyme. These proteins have been sequenced. In some cases, a relationship between type I hypersensitivity with respiratory symptoms due to bird antigens and allergy to egg yolk has been described. This association is known as bird-egg syndrome, which is caused by sensitization to chicken serum albumin (alpha -livetin) and is characterized by the development of respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms after egg intake or after contact with bird antigens. The initial symptoms are usually asthma with or without rhinoconjunctivitis due to contact with birds. Individuals first become sensitized to bird proteins (feathers, excrement, serum and meat) and subsequently develop egg allergy. Although bird-egg syndrome has been described principally in adults, especially in women, it can also affect children in whom the syndrome presents certain differentiating characteristics in relation to the more common sensitization to egg white. Gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms are more common than cutaneous symptoms and sensitization to egg yolk is more frequent than that to egg white. In children with allergy to birds and egg, egg allergy is usually more persistent; tolerance is not always achieved and develops later. Sensitization to other aeroallergens is also greater in individuals with allergy to birds and egg. Sensitization to egg sometimes precedes respiratory sensitization to bird proteins, a process known as bird-egg syndrome. By way of example, the case of a child who clinically presented bird-egg syndrome is presented at the end of this review.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Primula dermatitis.

We report the cases of 2 patients diagnosed as having primula dermatitis. Both patients were housewives who had been exposed to primula plants. Although only one related her clinical manifestations with looking after plants, the symptoms of both remitted when contact with primula was avoided. The diagnosis was carried out with a patch test concentration of 0.01% primin pet. As primula dermatitis has variable clinical manifestations that can not easily be related to contact allergy, we emphasize the need to include synthetic primin in our standard patch test series.

Dermatitis, Allergic Contact↗

PubMedDate not supplied

[Prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections].

An opportunist infection (OI) is understood to be an infection produced by microorganisms that invade a host with impaired immune capacity, such as children with HIV infection. The adequate treatment and chemoprophylaxis of these infections has improved the prognosis of their evolution, although they still present a high morbidity and mortality when they occur. In this sense, the introduction of triple therapy (new antiretroviral inhibitors and protease inhibitors) is likely to produce a prompt decrease in the incidence of OI because of the regression in the degree of immunosuppression that it induces. The degree of immunosuppression is determined by the number of CD4 lymphocytes, the most reliable marker for assessment. Normal CD4 lymphocytes values are different for each age group and have important connotations for the prophylactic measures to be used at each moment depending on the CD4 lymphocyte count. Opportunist infections influence the quality of life of patients. More than 100 microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa, cause OI. This paper describes primary and secondary prophylaxis as well as the treatment of the most frequent opportunist infections (Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, bacterial infections, Cryptococcus neoformans, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes simple, Varicella-zoster virus. Toxoplasmosis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M. avium-intracellulare, M. kansasii).

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Adverse reactions to cow's milk proteins.

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