High prevalence of shellfish and house dust mite allergies in Asia-Pacific: probably not just a coincidence.

The development of shellfish allergy usually begins in adulthood and tends to be a life-long problem. The prevalence of shellfish allergy is relatively high in Asian countries compared to the western world and symptoms may develop at the early age. 1 This phenomenon may simply reflect the geographic consumption of shellfish, however, other factors possibly play a role since low prevalence of shellfish allergy was noted in some countries with high seafood consumption rate. 2 This issue of APJAI features the first population-based study on the prevalence of self-reported food allergy among Chinese children and younger teenagers in Hong Kong. 3 This article emphasizes the significance of shellfish allergy as one of the major allergic problems in Asia-Pacific region. Tropomyosin has been identified as a major allergens in shellfish allergy. Some other allergens, however, are responsible for cross-reactivity between crustaceans and mollusks as well. A group of Malaysian researchers reported that tropomyosin and arginine kinase are the major allergens in Charybdis feriatus (red crab) and Portunus pelagicus (blue crab) and cross-reactivity of these allergens in patients who allergic to both red and blue crabs was clearly demonstrated. 4