Wheat allergens cross-reactivity

Allergy to flour dust in bakers has been known since 1700 [44, 45]. Baker s asthma is a well-known occupational disease caused by IgE-mediated sensitization to cereal - mainly wheat, rye and barley - proteins. Hjorth [46] stated that most baker s dermatitis was associated with an immediate-type hypersensitivity. Herxheimer [47, 48] studied the development of skin sensitivity in baker s apprentices for 5 years and showed that the percentage of sensitive subjects increased gradually until a constant figure of 20% was reached. Many different proteins were identified as allergenic in wheat flour, especially in the water-soluble albumin and globulin fractions [49]. There is extensive cross-reactivity between these cereals, and -to a minor extent - between them and other cereals such as oat, corn and rice [50]. 

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