Vaccine for Peanut Allergy

[Guest guest]

Isn't this great news? (<---please read that with sarcasm...lots of it...)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_308000/308920.stm

Thursday, April 1, 1999 Published at 10:55 GMT 11:55 UK

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Health

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Vaccine for peanut allergy

An increasing number of infants are allergic to peanuts

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US scientists believe they may have discovered a potential vaccine for peanut

allergy - the most common cause of death from food allergies. The number of

people suffering from the allergy in the UK is reported to be increasing -

and children are particularly at risk. Even a tiny trace of peanut dust can

cause sufferers to develop severe itching, rashes and stomach problems.

Sometimes allergic reactions can lead to a potentially fatal fall in blood

pressure. US scientists from s Hopkins University in Baltimore say they

took Arah2, the peanut gene thought to produce the allergic reaction, and

mixed it with chistosan, a product made from crab shells and crustaceans.

They injected the vaccine into mice bred to be allergic to peanuts and found

they were much less likely to suffer an allergic reaction than mice not given

the vaccine. They say the vaccine could be used to develop a similar

treatment for humans. It would aim to prevent people from becoming allergic

to peanuts, rather than to treat those who are already allergic.

Accidental exposure Writing in Nature Medicine journal, the scientists, led

by Kam Leong, say: " Given that the only treatment of food allergy is complete

avoidance of all allergen-containing food products and often involves

aggressive emergency treatments, pre-immunisation may be a viable therapeutic

tool. " Around half of all allergic attacks caused by peanuts come about

through accidental exposure. Peanuts are widely used in a variety of products

and it can be hard to know which foods contain them. If a person suffers an

attack, rapid treatment with epinephrine can reduce the severity of the

attack, but it will not prevent a future attack. The Anaphylaxis Campaign,

which has around 5,000 members, says 80% of people with allergies suffer a

reaction to peanuts or peanut oil. One in 200 children is estimated to have a

peanut allergy and up to 2% of the population has a severe allergy. There is

no general agreement why the number of people who suffer from peanut

allergies is increasing. But the campaign says there are various theories.

For example, there are more nuts around now, nuts are introduced to children

at an early age and foetuses are sensitised to nuts in the womb because their

mothers are eating more of them. Moira Austin of the campaign adds that it

could be that society's increasing obsession with cleanliness is leaving

people's immune systems with nothing to react against, causing them to go

" haywire " and react against " safe " products. The campaign says many foods

contain nut products, particularly cereals and sweets, and there is a danger

of cross contamination on the production line. Some parents ring the campaign

in tears because they cannot find products for their allergic children to

eat. The campaign believes manufacturers are becoming increasingly worried

about being sued over peanut allergies and are covering themselves by placing

warnings on a host of products. Ms Austin says manufacturers need to think of

separating their production processes to ensure nut products are produced in

segregated areas of factories. Last year, the government's Chief Medical

Officer warned pregnant and breast-feeding women that eating peanuts could

lead to their children developing a peanut allergy.

Alison,

La. SaHmommie to beautiful, intelligent, acrobatic, verbal, funny, breastfed,

non-vax'd, co-sleeping Calista, born February 13, 1999.

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