Profilins are highly conserved proteins in all eukaryotic organisms and are present in pollen and a wide variety of vegetable foods. The symptomatology characteristically associated with sensitization to this family of allergens is oral allergy syndrome (OAS). In these patients, the primary sensitization seems to be produced through the inhalation route on exposure to birch pollen. Allergens homologous to Bet v 1 (major birch pollen allergen) constitute a group of defense proteins (PR-10), with a molecular weight of 17 kDa, which behave as major allergens in patients from northern and central Europe with allergy to vegetables associated with birch pollen allergy. The three best-known groups are allergens homologous to Bet v 1, profilins, and lipid transfer proteins (LTP). Panallergens are proteins that are spread throughout the vegetable kingdom and are implicated in important biological functions (generally defense) and consequently their sequences and structures are highly conserved. The basis of these associations among vegetable foods and with pollens lies in the existence of IgE antibodies against "panallergens", which determines cross-reactivity. Furthermore, more than 75 % of these patients are allergic to pollen, the type of pollen varying in relation to the aerobiology of the area. In patients allergic to fruit and garden produce, multiple sensitizations to other vegetable products, whether from the same family or taxonomically unrelated, are frequent, although they do not always share the same clinical expression.
The most commonly implicated foods are fruit and dried fruits, followed in Spain by legumes and fresh garden produce. Vegetable foods are the most frequent cause of food allergy after the age of 5 years.
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