ALLERGENS AND ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES Early Exposure and Sensitization to Cat and Dog: Different Effects on Asthma Risk After Wheezing in Infancy

RESULTS. Allergen-specific IgE antibodies were detectable in 23.9% of the newborns. Paired IgE values from CB plus maternal blood and CB plus paternal blood were available for 922 and 835 children, respectively. Contamination with maternal serum was excluded by several means of analysis, including the absence of IgA antibodies. Concordance between CB IgE and maternal IgE against the same allergen was very low for inhalant allergens; in contrast, the concordance for various food allergens was considerably higher, particularly for hen’s egg, cow’s milk, and soybean. The percentages of IgEnegative mothers and fathers were equal for children who were sensitized to seasonal allergens (both 47%) but differed strongly for children who were sensitized to food allergens (21.9% [mothers] vs 65.7% [fathers]). There was an inverse association between CB IgE and the amount of CB IFN(odds ratio: 0.69 [95% confidence interval: 0.58–0.83]).