IGE REACTIVITY TO 14-KD AND 27-KD NATURAL-RUBBER PROTEINS IN LATEX-ALLERGIC CHILDREN WITH SPINA-BIFIDA AND OTHER CONGENITAL-ANOMALIES

We examined by immunoblotting sera from 39 latex-allergic patients, 19 from USA and 20 from Finland, including 15 children with spina bifida and 5 children with other congenital anomalies, for IgE antibodies to natural rubber latex (latex) antigens. IgE antibodies in 10 of the 12 (83%) US spina bifida patients and in 2 of the 3 Finnish spina bifida patients recognized a previously undescribed 27-kD antigen which, tog ether with a 14- and a 20-kD peptide, appeared to be a major latex all ergen. Two patients with other congenital anomalies, one from the US a nd one from Finland, also demonstrated anti-27-kD bands. IgE antibodie s to the 27-kD antigen were not detected in other latex-allergic patie nts from the US or Finland although most of them showed IgE binding to 14- and/or 20-kD latex antigens. All 21 controls, including 3 spina b ifida patients with no evidence of latex allergy, gave negative immuno blot results. This observation suggests that patients with spina bifid a or other congenital anomalies who have been subject to multiple oper ations and other invasive therapeutic procedures may have been exposed to different antigenic source materials than other latex-allergic pat ients.