Allergenic cross-reactivity of olive pollen

Background: Sera of patients allergic to olive (Olea europaea) pollen were used to analyze the IgE cross-reactivity between olive-pollen extract and o ther pollens obtained from phylogenetically unrelated species. Methods: We used IgE immunostaining of pollen extracts blotted to nitrocell ulose membranes after SDS-PAGE and inhibition analysis of this binding. Results: A high inhibition of the IgE binding on olive-pollen extract was e xhibited by birch, mugwort, pine, and cypress pollens, suggesting that thes e extracts contain proteins which share common epitopes and thus can be rec ognized by olive-allergic sera. IgE binding to Gramineae pollen extracts wa s not inhibited by olive-pollen extract, indicating a primary sensitization of the patients to these species. From the inhibition assays, the presence of an allergen of 45 kDa in the olive pollen, which has no homologous coun terparts in other allergenic species, has been inferred. Conclusions: Olive pollen contains allergens which cross-react with pollens from unrelated species, a fact that could simplify the diagnosis and treat ment of pollinosis.