Comparison of Specific IgE Antibodies to Wheat Component Allergens in Two Phenotypes of Wheat Allergy

Specific IgE to gliadin was proposed as a marker for wheat dependent exercise induced anaphylaxis, while Tri a 14 was found to induce IgE response in baker's asthma. We evaluated whether these components could be used for discriminating phenotypes of wheat allergy. Twenty-nine patients who were wheat-induced anaphylaxis and/or urticaria (n = 21, group I) and baker's asthma (n = 8, group II) were enrolled. The prevalence of serum specific IgE to Tri a 14 was higher in group II (25%) than in group I (4.8%), while the serum specific IgE to gliadin was significantly higher in group I (70%) than in group II (12.5%). The cutoff value for predicting the baker's asthma using the ratio of serum specific IgE to Tri a 14 to gliadin was 742.8 optical density x 1,000/(kU/L) with high sensitivity and specificity. These findings suggest that Tri a 14/gliadin may be a potential marker for predicting baker's asthma.