Allergic reactions to honey and royal jelly and their relationship

yct01

The natural sources of honey are nectar and honeydew. During collection, grains of pollen are admixed to this raw material. It was calculated that ten grams of honey contains 20 to 100,000 grains of pollen , which retain their allergenic properties during the honey making process. Ingestion of honey can cause allergic reactions of various severity (from cough to anaphylaxis). The components responsible for the reactions can be pollens, expecially those of the Compositae family, bee secretions, and body materials.In our patients, the concomitant sensitization to Artemisia pollen was demonstrated and a detailed immunological analysis carried out in one patient revealed a clearcut cross-reactivity between honey and pollen proteins. In conclusion, although honey allergy in rare in patients sensitive to pollens, it may be relevant to advice honey diet exclusion in atopic patients sensitized to Compositae, like to the well-known \"Celery-Mugwort-Spice\" syndrome with frequent anaphylactic reactions to food.