Transplanting A Nut Allergy

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Posted by timothy on Tuesday January 28, 2003 @02:53PM from the sign-here-please dept.

Gavinsblog writes "New Scientist is reporting that a man who received a liver transplant from a donor who died of anaphylactic shock, went on to develop a life-threatening nut allergy himself. The man had no history of a nut allergy suffered an anaphylactic reaction to a cashew nut 25 days after receiving the liver. Should the liver have read 'Warning: may contain traces of nut'?"

2 of 31 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Not that suprising by one9nine · 2003-01-28 15:48 · Score: 4, Informative

1. The liver is the most bad ass organ in all the land (aside from the brain), responsible for over 500 bodily functions.
2. The liver produces complex proteins from amino acids. It wouldn't be uncommon for the transplanted liver to produce IgE (immunoglobulin E) which, if I remember correctly, is what causes the reaction that causes anaphylactic shock (fancy term for bad allergic reaction).
1. Re:Not that suprising by jdiggans · 2003-01-29 02:13 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  2. The liver produces complex proteins from amino acids. It wouldn't be uncommon for the transplanted liver to produce IgE (immunoglobulin E) which, if I remember correctly, is what causes the reaction that causes anaphylactic shock (fancy term for bad allergic reaction).
  
  You remember correctly but it would indeed be strange for the liver to produce IgE. IgE is released by only mast cells, immunge cells that are not normally circulatory but that settle in tissues and do their thing in situ.
  
  They're usually found resting in connective tissues but I can imagine a liver transplant would move a few along for the ride (and it doesn't take much IgE to do a lot of harm; it's powerful stuff). They do, however, have a limited life span (though I don't remember what it is). If only he'd waited to eat those nuts ...
  -j