Fungal allergy

Article By:

Crameri, Reto Department of Molecular Allergology, Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, Davos, Switzerland

Rhyner, Claudio Department of Molecular Allergology, Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research, Davos, Switzerland

Last reviewed:March 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.900178

A hypersensitivity or altered reactivity caused by fungal allergens. More than 20% of the population in industrialized countries suffers from allergic disease, and diverse allergens (substances foreign to the body that cause allergy) associated with different forms of allergy have been reported. Among these, fungal allergens (see illustration) play a predominant role because they induce immunoglobulin E (IgE)–mediated sensitization. [IgE is one of the body's five classes (isotypes) of immunoglobulins (glycoproteins in the blood serum that are induced in response to invasion by foreign antigens and that protect the host by eradicating pathogens; antibodies belong to this group of proteins).] In contrast to pollen allergens, which show a typical seasonal variation, fungal allergens are present in the environment all year long and often in far greater concentrations than pollen grains during the seasonal peak. See also: Allergy; Fungi; Immunoglobulin; Immunology; Medical mycology; Mycology

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