An adverse, immune mediated clinical reaction to food protein in sensitized subjects is known as food allergy. There are two types of food allergies: those that are usually out grown (known as transient food allergy); and those that are rarely out grown (known as persistent food allergy). The immune mechanism behind transient and persistent food allergies is incompletely understood at present. To address this problem, the present study was conducted using an adjuvant-free mouse model of food allergy. In the first part, long-term characteristics of hazelnut allergy were studied. We found that hazelnut allergy once established persists for long periods (up to 8 months), due to long-lasting, memory IL-4 and IgE responses. In the second part of the study, we established an adjuvant-free mouse model of milk allergy. In the third part of the study, long-term characteristics of cow's milk allergy were studied. We found that, upon allergen withdrawal, cow's milk allergy readouts of memory IgE and IL-4 responses were short lived. Surprisingly, whey protein induced hypothermia in both healthy and allergic old mice, thus complicating analysis of milk induced systemic anaphylaxis in aged mice. These results have advanced the knowledge of immune mechanism behind persistent and transient type of food allergies in this mouse model.
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