Different pattern of IgE binding to chicken egg yolk between patients with inhalant allergy to birds and food-allergic children

IgE binding antigens in budgerigar, canary and parrot serum were analyzed by immunoblotting. With 4 sera from patients with a respiratory allergy to birds, a closely related pattern of IgE binding to SDS-PAGE separated sera of the 3 birds was found. In all 3 bird sera a major IgE binding structure was present with a MW of about 60 kD. The pattern of IgE binding to SDS-PAGE separated egg yolk in sera from the patients allergic to birds, was different from sera of food-allergic children. Whereas in the bird-allergic patients major IgE binding occurred to a 60 kD component in egg yolk, IgE from food-allergic children was preferentially bound to a 35-kD structure in egg yolk.