Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Paediatrics, National University Hospital, Tower Block Level 12, 1E Kent Ridge Road, Singapore, 119228 Singapore ; Department of Paediatrics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
  • 2 Department of Paediatrics, Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
  • 3 Department of Medicine, Gleneagles Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Emergency Medicine Department, National University Hospital, National University Health System, Singapore, Singapore ; Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
  • 5 Department of Surgery, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore ; Emergency Department, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
  • 6 Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kandang Kerbau Women's and Children's Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
World Allergy Organ J, 2017;10(1):3.
PMID: 28232856 DOI: 10.1186/s40413-016-0136-x

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) are prebiotics added to commercial milk formula of infants and mothers. In recent years, cases of allergy related to GOS in atopic children have been reported in the South East Asian region.

CASE PRESENTATIONS: We describe a series of pregnant (n = 4) and lactating mothers (n = 2) who developed anaphylactic reactions after consumption of maternal milk formula containing GOS. All six subjects had pre-existing atopy and a positive skin prick test to GOS and 5/5 of the subjects who were tested had positive basophil activation tests to GOS. All of the mothers and their babies had normal neonatal outcomes after the reactions.

CONCLUSIONS: The supplementation of GOS into milk and beverages in the Asian region should take into account the rare chance of allergenicity of GOS in the atopic population.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.