Importance of routes of exposure in the development of immune response to peanut

Background Immediate hypersensitivity reactions to food are a major health concern for Canadians due to severity of reactions they elicit and their increasing prevalence. Currently 6% of children develop food allergy. Peanut (PN) hypersensitivity is one of the major causes of foodrelated anaphylaxis. We tested the hypothesis that the route of initial exposure to food antigen dictates the nature of the immune response and hence the development of an allergic response/anaphylaxis vs. tolerance upon subsequent or secondary exposure. The aim of this study was to: 1) establish three independent animal models of peanut exposure via the oral, dermal and inhalational routes that will allow us to 2) investigate whether sensitization or tolerance develops following gastrointestinal, dermal or inhalational exposures, following initial exposures via the alternate route.