ALLERGEN - APPLE (MALUS DOMESTICA)

Overview

Apple is one of the most popularly cultivated and consumed fruits globally. It belongs to the family Rosaceae and the genus Malus. Apples are widely cultivated in temperate and cool regions. Fruits from the family Rosaceae are well-known causative agents of foodborne allergies. Symptoms of apple allergy occur on direct consumption of apples or through indirect contact with the fruit, such as eating food containing apples or traces of apples left in unclean utensils, etc. Allergy to apple manifests itself majorly as Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS) with swelling and itching of oral mucosa in throat, lips, itching in the eyes, etc., as allergic rhinitis and asthma in others, and even as severe systemic symptoms like anaphylaxis in some people.