Eliann Egaas

• Norwegian Veterinary Institute

The carry-over of certain feed components into animal products can be of concern for human health. The safety assessment of chemical contaminants including natural toxins, agrochemicals, veterinary drugs, and environmental pollutants is a key element of the “farm-to-fork” (“One Health”) approach. The transmissibility of proteinaceous feed constitue...

Wild-caught marine fish are potentially carrying parasites. Larvae of the nematode Anisakis simplex (herring or whale worm) occur in almost all commercially exploited fish stocks in temperate seas. The presence of A. simplex in fish and fish products is not only an economic concern but represents a significant consumer health risk. Anisakiasis, hum...

The parasitic nematode Anisakis simplex occurs in fish stocks in temperate seas. A. simplex contamination of fish products is unsavoury and a health concern considering human infection with live larvae (anisakiasis) and allergic reactions to anisakid proteins in seafood. Protein extracts of A. simplex produce complex band patterns in gel electropho...

Background Brine shrimp (Artemia salina) is a crustacean species found in salt lakes around the world thriving in high salinity and temperature. Brine shrimp eggs develop into free-swimming nauplii that mature and moult into about 1 cm long adults with a life span of several months. In the Norwegian fish farming industry industrially-produced live...

During the last decade, cases of the fish parasite Anisakis simplex infection and allergy in human have increased in countries with high fish consumption. Our aim was to perform an extended seroprevalence study of anti-IgE antibodies against this parasite in Norway, one of the high fish consuming countries. At the Department of Immunology and Trans...

Sensitization to food allergens and food allergic reactions are mostly caused by ingesting the allergen, but can also occur from exposure via the respiratory tract or the skin. Little is known about exposure to food allergens in the home environment. To describe the frequency of detection of allergens from fish, egg, milk, and peanut in mattress du...

Results Fish allergen was found in 46%, peanut in 41%, milk in 39%, and egg allergen in 22% of the mattresses, and only three dust samples contained none of the four food allergens. Milk allergen was more likely to be found in mattresses from beds that are usually made (covered) during the day (53%) than in beds that are not covered during the day...

Brine shrimp (Artemia salina) is a crustacean species belonging to the taxonomy order of Fairy Shrimps (Anostraca). They are found in salt lakes around the world and thrive in high salinity and temperature. Brine shrimp eggs develop into free-swimming nauplii that mature and moult into adults, which are about 1 cm long and have a life-time of sever...

Background: Sensitization to food allergens is supposed mostly to be caused by ingestion of the allergen. However, sensitization may also be initiated in the respiratory tract or through the skin. Little is known about sources and prevalence of food allergens in environmental samples. We aimed to describe the presence of food allergens in mattress...

Background: Shellfish allergy is one of the major causes of life-threatening allergic reactions to food. The shrimp species Pandalus borealis is the commercially most important coldwater shrimp species, and its protein extract is commonly used in shrimp allergy diagnostics. However, the DNA sequence of its major allergen, tropomyosin, designated P...

The fish nematode Anisakis simplex contains multiple proteins producing complex band patterns in the gel electrophoresis of protein extracts. Several Anisakis proteins have been recognised as allergens and are registered in the Allergome database. Among these are well-characterised proteins such as paramyosin (Ani s 2) or tropomyosin (Ani s 3), but...

Wild-caught marine fish is potentially carrying parasites. Larvae of the nematode Anisakis simplex (herring or whale worm) occur in virtually all commercially exploited fish stocks in temperate seas. The Anisakis life cycle is complex involving planktonic crustaceans, fish and marine mammals. In fish, the larvae are mainly situated in the visceral...

Ingen av de hermetiske produktene inneholdt kvantifiserbare mengder Anisakis protein. Resultatene fra 105 stikkprøver av hermetikk solgt i Norge i perioden 2009-2012 viste at ingen inneholdt over 2 ppm Anisakis-protein (som er kvantifiseringsgrense for den valgte ELISA-metoden). Vi antar at dette er for lite til å gi en allergisk reaksjon hos Anisa...

Background Fibroleukin or fibrinogen-like protein-2 is a immunomodulatory protein that was described to bind to Fcgamma-receptor-IIb and III. In the present study the effects of a fusion protein consisting of fibroleukin and the major allergen of shrimp, tropomyosin, on human basophilic responses were investigated in vitro. Methods The fusion mole...

Background The present study investigated to what extent shrimp allergic individuals were IgE-sensitized to anisakis, crab and house dust mite and whether tropomyosin was responsible for IgE cross-reactivity. Methods 29 Individuals with self reported shrimp allergy were recruited by advertisements in local and national news-papers in Norway. Anamn...

Background The nematode Anisakis simplex is a marine parasite that causes allergy as well as anisakiasis in human. Here, we describe the identification of 4 novel allergens in anisakis. Methods Binding of human IgE to anisakis and house dust mite proteins was investigated by immunoblot with serum from individuals sensitized to anisakis or shrimp....

Objective The present study investigated to what extent shrimp allergic individuals were IgE-sensitized to the fish parasite anisakis, crab and house dust mite and whether tropomyosin was responsible for IgE cross-reactivity. Methods Individuals with self-reported shrimp allergy were recruited by advertisements in local and national news-papers in...

Background The nematode Anisakis simplex is a marine parasite that causes allergy as well as anisakiasis in human. Here, we describe the identification of 4 novel allergens in anisakis. Methods Binding of IgE to anisakis was studied by immunoblot with serum from shrimp allergic individuals sensitized to anisakis. IgE binding patterns in the immunob...

The Norwegian Food Allergy Register was established at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in 2000. The purpose of the register is to gain information about severe allergic reactions to food in Norway and to survey food products in relation to allergen labelling and contamination. Cases are reported on a voluntary basis by first line doctors,...

There is a growing awareness by consumers and food safety authorities regarding the possible presence of parasites or parasite-related potentially hazardous substances in seafood. Anisakis simplex is among the most frequently occurring parasites in wild-caught marine fish. Except for various visual inspection techniques and PCR-based methods for th...

Wild-caught marine fish seems to be the only industrially produced food potentially carrying parasites. Larvae of the nematode Anisakis simplex (herring or whale worm) are occurring in almost all commercially exploited fish stocks in temperate seas. The Anisakis life cycle involves marine mammals as definitive host, planktonic crustaceans as interm...

The Norwegian National Reporting System and Register of Severe Allergic Reactions to Food was established in year 2000 in collaboration with the National Veterinary Institute and The Norwegian Food Safety Authority. The purpose of the Government-funded register is to gain better information about severe allergic reactions to food and to survey food...

Fenugreek is a legume plant used as an ingredient of curry spice. Incidents of IgE-mediated food allergy to fenugreek have been reported. Coincidence with allergy to peanut, a major food allergen, seems to be common suggesting a rather high rate of cross-reactivity. Characterization of fenugreek allergens using patient sera and mass spectrometry-ba...

span style="font-size: x-small; font-family: TimesNewRomanPSMT;"> The Norwegian National Reporting System and Register of Severe Allergic Reactions to Food, or the Food Allergy Register, is a nation-wide, government-funded permanent reporting and registration system for severe allergic reactions to food. The Food Allergy Register collects informati...

Food-processing techniques may induce changes in fish protein immunogenicity. Allergens from >100 fish species have been identified, but little is known on the effects of processing on fish protein immunogenicity. IgE binding of sera of patients allergic to fresh and processed (smoked, salted/sugar-cured, canned, lye-treated and fermented) cod, had...

The quality of an applied protein extract is important in both serological and in vivo diagnosis of allergy, and for allergen detection methods. In the present study the effects of the extraction procedure and hazelnut source on antibody binding to hazelnut (Corylus avellana) proteins were investigated. An overnight extraction procedure in tris–gly...

Simulated gastric fluid digestion was used to investigate how heat processing and fat content influence effects of proteolytic digestion on milk protein immunogenicity in milk with varying fat content and degree of processing. Changes in antigenicity and allergenicity of casein and β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) were demonstrated, using polyclonal antibodi...

Background The Norwegian National Reporting System and Register of Severe Allergic Reactions to Food was started by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health 1 July 2000 in collaboration with the National Veterinary Institute and The Norwegian Food Safety Authority. The purpose is to obtain information about severe allergic reactions to food in Norw...

Lupin, a legume belonging to the Leguminosae family, has been used as food, feed and fertilizer since ancient times. Lupin seeds are consumed as snacks in several European countries. After the introduction of lupin flour as an ingredient in wheat flour in the 1990s for its nutritional and food processing qualities, lupin consumption became more wid...

The ubiquitous muscle protein tropomyosin has been identified as the major shrimp allergen and is suggested to be a cross-reacting allergen. Previously, only a few methods for the detection of tropomyosin in food have been published. A quantitative sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of tropomyosin from crustaceans...

To study physiological and biochemical effects of demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides on non-target insects, larvae of the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae L., were exposed orally to propiconazole, (R,S)-1-[2-(2,4-diclophenyl)-4-propyl-1,3-dioolan-2-ylmetyl]-1H-1,2,4-triazole (100, 200 and 600 mg L(-1)) and fenpropimorph, (+/-)-cis-4-[3-(4-ter...

Food allergy is generally considered to affect about 2% of the adult population and 6% of children The incidence of severe food allergic reactions is largely unknown, and there is a general lack of information about triggering allergens, age and gender distribution, and health care system handling of the cases Further, there is a need for food alle...

Hen's egg white protein is a major cause of food allergy, and a considerable number of countries have introduced labeling directions for processed food products. To control compliance with these regulations, analytical assays for the detection of egg in manufactured foods have been developed. In this study, we have tested the performance of 3 comme...

Differences in casein-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G-subclass and IgA serum levels between reactive and tolerant patients may hint at the immunopathogenesis during tolerance development in cow's milk allergy (CMA). α-, β- and κ-casein-specific IgG1, IgG4, IgE and IgA serum levels were compared in clinically reactive and tolerized IgE-mediated (n =...

The ingestion of dietary products containing sweet lupin (such as Lupinus albus or Lupinus angustifolius) has been reported to cause IgE-mediated allergic reactions. Recent studies have indicated lupin globulins as important IgE binding proteins. The aim of the present study was to generate and characterize monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against lupi...

Previously reported increased lymphocyte proliferative responses in cow's milk allergy (CMA) may have been influenced by the lipopolysaccharides (LPS) which contaminate most commercial cow's milk protein (CMPs). Moreover, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) contain both B cells, CD45RA+ naïve T cells, CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in addit...

BACKGROUND: The ingestion of dietary products containing sweet lupin (such as Lupinus albus or Lupinus angustifolius) has been reported to cause IgE-mediated allergic reactions. Recent studies have indicated lupin globulins as important IgE binding proteins. The aim of the present study was to generate and characterize monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)...

The major cow's milk allergen beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG) is relatively resistant to enzymatic degradation and may therefore be involved in non-immunoglobulin (Ig)E-mediated cow's milk allergy (CMA) with delayed gastrointestinal symptoms. Serum levels of beta-LG-specific IgG(1), IgG(4), IgE, and IgA were compared in clinically reactive and toleriz...

Hen’s egg is a major food allergen and can cause acute allergic reactions in sensitised persons. The global prevalence of allergy to egg has been calculated at 1.6% in children aged 2.5 years (Eggesbo et al.) Many countries have introduced mandatory labelling of egg in food products. The egg white has a stronger allergic potential than the egg yolk...

Hen’s egg is a major food allergen and can cause acute allergic reactions in sensitised persons. The global prevalence of allergy to egg has been calculated at 1.6% in children aged 2.5 years (Eggesbo et al.) Many countries have introduced mandatory labelling of egg in food products. The egg white has a stronger allergic potential than the egg yolk...

Sweet lupine (such as Lupinus albus and Lupinus angustifolius) is a widely cultivated legume that is used as additives in breads and cereals in large amounts. Like peanut, soy, peas, beans and lentils, lupine belongs to the Leguminosae plant family. The storage proteins in lupine seeds comprise mainly of globulins and albumins. Globulins contain tw...

Allergic reactions to food represent a significant and apparently increasing problem in the population. Fish belongs to the four types of food that most often provoke a serious anaphylactic reaction, and is especially significant in populations where fish is a major component in the food. Other clinical manifestations in fish allergic patients may...

With the aim of lowering the detection limit for casein in foods, three competitive assays are described: direct time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA), using europium-conjugated antibody, indirect TR-FIA, using biotinylated antibody with europium-conjugated streptavidin and ELISA, using a HRP-conjugated secondary antibody. Food samples (instant...

The use of lupine in foods has increased considerably during the past decade, reflected by a corresponding increase in reported lupine-induced allergic incidents. Lupine allergy may arise either by primary sensitization or by clinical cross-reactivity in peanut-allergic persons. Detection of lupine proteins in food has previously been based on the...

A rocket immunoelectrophoresis (RIE) method is described and compared with a commercial ELISA kit. Thirteen food products were selected from the categories sausage, rice pudding, fruit-ice, biscuit and baby-dinner. These had all tested negative for casein in a previous investigation using an older commercial ELISA kit. In the present study, using a...

In a case monitored by the Norwegian National Register for Severe Allergic Reactions to Food, a patient with peanut allergy experienced an allergic reaction after eating a particular brand of hot dog bread. The aim of this study was to identify the eliciting allergen. Extracts from the hot dog bread and reference material from peanut, lupine and lu...

Aims: In a case monitored by the Norwegian National Register for Severe Allergic Reactions to Food, a patient with peanut allergy experienced an allergic reaction after eating a particular brand of hot dog bread. A study to identify the eliciting allergen was initiated at the National Veterinary Institute. Methods: Extracts from the hot dog bread a...

Aims: Food allergies are a substantial health problem. About 1-3% of the total population and 4-6% of the child population are affected. There are different degrees of manifestations, from slightly discomfort to life threatening reactions. In very sensitive individuals, only minimal amounts of allergen can provoke serious reactions, in some cases f...

Aims: Food allergy is one major form of adverse reaction to foods and can range from relatively short-lived discomfort to fatal anaphylactic shock. Traces of allergens may be present in end products due to cross-contamination by other foods produced at the same production line or in the same room. Typical examples for such allergen carryovers that...

Løvik M, Namork E, Omholt-Jensen G, Fæste CK, Egaas E, Stensby BA. Severe allergic reactions to food in Norway – results from the Norwegian National Reporting System and Register. 8th Nordic Nutrition Conference, 20.-23. Juni 2004, Tønsberg, Norway.

Omholt-Jensen G, Namork E, Fæste CK, Egaas E, Stensby BA, Løvik M. Severe allergic reactions to food – the Norwegian National Reporting System and Register. 8th Nordic Nutrition Conference, 20.-23. Juni 2004, Tønsberg, Norway.

Hidden Shellfish in a fish cake C. K. Fæste*, H. G. Wiker, M. Løvik, E. Egaas Key words: allergen matrix; fish; hidden food allergens; Norwegian National Register for Severe Food Allergy Reactions; shellfish. Hidden allergens in processed foods represent a health risk (1). About 2–3% of all adults and 6–8% of children are affected. About five times...

In order to evaluate the gill glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity as a biomarker of effect of fungicide exposure in juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta), the fungicides propiconazole [(R,S)-1-[2-(2,4-diclophenyl)-4-propyl-1,3-dioolan-2-ylmetyl]-1H-1,2,4-triazole] and fenpropimorph [(+/-)-cis-4-[3-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-2-metyl propyl]-2,6 dimetyl...

Concentrations of the fungicide thiabendazole (2-(thiazol-4′-yl)benzimidazole) (45-290 ug/1) administered in the water for 4 days in a flow-through system significantly increased the gill glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) in brown trout (Salmo trutta). Hepatic GST activities were not increased by th...

A study was carried out to investigate the effect of dietary n-3 fatty acid rich fish oil on the reproduction of broiler breeder hens. There were six dietary treatments: (1) basal feed without fat supplements, (2) feed with 3% rendered fat; (3) feed with 2.6% rendered fat +0.4% fish oil; (4) feed with 3% fish oil; (5) feed with 3% fish oil + extra...

Atrazine (1,000 ppm), endosulfan (1 ppm) or butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) (1,000 ppm) added to a semi-synthetic diet of Orthosia gothica for 2 days in the last instar did not change the soft tissue cytosolic glutathione-S-transferase (GST) activities towards 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB) and cumene hydroper...

The fungicide propiconazole (1-(2-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-propyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-ylmethyl) -1H-1,2,4-triazole) induced the hepatic cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) activity towards ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD), the content of CYP1A protein as quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity towa...

During the last 2 years, extracts from cultured oysters (Ostrea edulis and Crassostrea gigas) intended for screening for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins have on several occasions been lethal to mice upon extended observation periods. The prolonged observation time in the PSP toxins assay was toxins responsible for amnesic shellfish poiso...

Responses in flounder (Platichthys flesus) towards benzo [a]pyrene (BaP), 2,3,3',4,4',5-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-156), and cadmium (Cd) were investigated in time-course and dose-response studies of selected biomarkers. Measurements of biliary fluorescent BaP metabolites and hepatic concentrations of PCB-156 and cadmium showed that the injected toxic...

Interactive effects of a mixed pollutant exposure on biomarker responses were studied in European flounder (Platichthys flesus L.). The model chemicals, benzo[a]pyrene (BaP, 2.5 mg kg-1), 2,3,3′,4,4′5-hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB-156, 2.5 mg kg-1), and cadmium (cadmium, 1 mg kg-1), were administered to fish by subcutaneous injections. Biomarker response...

Flounder (Platichthys flesus L.) and Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) were subjected to caging at polluted sediments in a Norwegian fjord (Sørfjorden) for a period of 3 months. Three caging sites were located close to metal smelters, whereas a fourth site was located 30 km away as a reference. In sediment samples, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), po...

Flounder (Platichthys flesus) is among the most common fish-species in Norwegian and European estuaries. It lives in or on sediments from which it also finds most of its food. The aim of the present work was to evaluate biomarkers in flounder for possible future use in monitoring programmes. There were clear biomarker responses in flounder followin...

Six major glutathione S-transferase (GST) subunits (subunits 1-6), belonging to two different GST classes (GST1 and GST2), were purified by glutathione-Sepharose affinity chromatography and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from the gut-free soft tissue cytosol of last instar Orthosia gothica fed a bean diet (large white k...

Four subunits of the cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) in Orthosia gothica fed on willow leaves and a semisynthetic bean diet were purified as separate peaks (subunits 1-4) by a two-step gradient elution from a reverse-phase HPLC column after an initial purification by glutathione-Sepharose 1-chloro-2,4-dinitro-benzene (CDNB). Subunit 1 wit...

A gradient elution with glutathione (GSH) from a GSH-Sepharose 6B affinity column separated the hepatic mouse glutathione S-transferases (GST) to the alpha-, mu- and pi-classes. The GST-dependent conjugation of atrazine and glutathione was catalyzed by a pi-class GST. The pi- and mu-classes were both identified by their respective specific substrat...

The hepatic cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity in four strains of the mouse and one strain of the rat was studied with the substrates 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB), 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB), ethachrynic acid (ETHA), cumene hydroperoxide (CU) and atrazine as the in vitro substrates. In the mouse, significant gender, st...

1. Atrazine (3 daily i.p. doses of 0.20 mg/kg or 10 ppb in the water for 14 days) did not change the xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme activities (XME) towards the substrates aldrin epoxidase (AE), NADPH-cytochrome c reductase (NCCR), 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), 1-chloro-2,4-dinitro-benzene (CDNB) and 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB) in t...

1. Larvae of yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.), European rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes nasicornis L.), garden chafer (Phyllopertha horticola L.) and summer chafer (Amphimallon solstitiale) were kept in semi-natural substrates which had been mixed with varying amounts of Thiodan 35 (endosulfan).2. The microsomal fractions from midgut and/or gut-fre...

1. In the final instar of red sword grass moth (Xylena vetusta Hb.) (RSGM) and Hebrew character moth (Orthosia gothica L.) (HCM) reared on leaves from apple (Malus domestica cult.) or willow (Salix caprea L.), glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities in midgut and soft tissues, excluding the digestive tract, varied with a factor of 900.2. In RSGM...

1. The activities of aldrin epoxidase, NADPH cytochrome c reductase, and glutathione S-transferase (GST) towards 1,2-dichloro-4-nitro benzene (DCNB), and 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene (CDNB) in peach-potato aphids (Myzus persicae Sulzer) on swedes (Brassica napus rapifera Metzger) were respectively 0.4, 1.6, 2.0, and 4.6 times the corresponding activ...

A single i.v. injection (75 μg/kg body weight) of the insecticide endosulfan was administered to gonadally immature rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Experiments were done with both technical and analytical grade endosulfan. In liver microsomes prepared from fish killed 24 h after administration, the cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenase acti...

The rnono-ortho-substituted polychlorinated PCB congener 2,3,4,4,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB-118) was administered i.p. (30 mg/kg body weight) to gonadally immature rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), of both sexes. In liver microsomes prepared from fish killed 4 days after administration, the cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase activities of 7...

The effect of larval body weight in the range 0.07 to 0.25 g on basal activity levels and inducibility were studied in microsomal enzymes from yellow mealworm carcass (soft tissue without gut). The lindane toxicity and the effect of aldrin pretreatment on lindane toxicity were studied in three different weight groups. 1. The basal levels of several...

The basal levels and the induction potential of some microsomal enzymes of the yellow meal-worm soft tissue without gut was established. The insecticides aldrin, lindane, and endosulfan were administered in the feed for 3 days of exposure. Cytochrome P-450, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, aldrin epoxidase, and heptachlor epoxidase were chosen as mixe...

Rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri) held at 7 degrees and 16 degrees were given Aroclor 1254 (PCB) (10 mg/kg body wt) via intraperitoneal injections. The binding of [3H]benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) to deproteinized salmon sperm DNA was assayed (pmoles BaP equivalents per mg DNA per mg protein) using the post-mitochondrial supernatant (S 10) fractions from live...

A model is presented of the relationship between the relative responses of flame-ionization and electron-capture detectors and the structure of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The model permits the calculation of detector responses for all PCBs and opens the possibility of detailed structural analyses.

A chemical method for the analysis of naturally occurring vitamin D is proposed. The unsaponifiable matter of oils and tissues is prepared, cholesterol is partly removed by double precipitation at low temperature in methanol. The vitamin D fraction is collected on an adsorption column by high performance liquid chromatography. The fraction is furth...