ALDER POLLEN ALLERGY
Key Allergens
There are 2 allergens associated with alder tree pollen, Aln g 1 and Aln g 2. Both are allergens associated with airways.
Aln g 1 is a
Bet v 1 allergen, which means people suffering from this particular allergen will also be allergic to the pollen from birch trees.
Aln g 2 is a
polcalcin protein, which is a calcium binding protein commonly associated with pollen germination. Like Bet v 1 proteins this group are highly cross reactive.
Alder pollen occurs in the UK between January and April, peaking in February. This varies in different countries. It is considered to have medium to high allergenicity.
Associated Syndromes
An allergy to alder pollen is strongly associated with seasonal allergic rhinitis (hayfever).
As it contains a Bet v 1 protein it is strongly linked to oral allergy symptoms and
Pollen Food Allergy Syndrome - this is where eating raw fruits and vegetables can illicit an allergic reaction as they contain similarly shaped proteins.
An alder pollen allergy is also linked to asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic dermatitis.
Cross Reactivity
There is a lot of cross reactivity between tree pollens, alder, birch, hazel and hornbeam pollens all have very similar shaped proteins (Bet v 1-like).
Other plant pollens which contain polcalcin proteins are ragweed, mugwort, birch, timothy grass, lilac and olive. There is also a polcalcin protein in turnips which is associated with this allergy presenting itself as a food allergy.
Resources
Websites
Allergy UK - Allergic rhinitis
Allergen Encyclopedia - Alder Pollen
Worcester Pollen Forecast
Alliance Allergy - Alder Pollen
Allergy UK - Managing your asthma and your allergic rhinitis throughout the seasons
Articles and Journals
The differences in the count of B lymphocytes in atopic dermatitis patients with and without dupilumab therapy and in healthy subjects in pollen season and out of pollen season, 2024
Allergenic pollen seasons and regional pollen calendars for Norway, 2024
Eczema phenotypes and IgE component sensitization in adolescents: A population-based birth cohort, 2022
Simplified AIT for allergy to several tree pollens-Arguments from the immune outcome analyses following treatment with SQ tree SLIT-tablet, 2021
Is allergy immunotherapy with birch sufficient to treat patients allergic to pollen of tree species of the birch homologous group? 2020
Tree pollen allergens—an update from a molecular perspective, 2015
Panallergens and their impact on the allergic patient, 2010
Molecular and immunologic characterization of a highly cross-reactive two EF-hand calcium-binding alder pollen allergen, Aln g 4: structural basis for calcium-modulated IgE recognition, 1998
Complementary DNA cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of Aln g I, the major allergen in pollen of alder (Alnus glutinosa), 1992
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