The kiss of death: a severe allergic reaction to a shellfish induced by a good-night kiss.

True (IgE-mediated) allergic reactions to crustaceans are relatively common and can be serious. A young woman with a clinical history of multiple urticarial reactions after touching shrimp and lobster dishes was seen in an emergency department of a Mayo Clinic-affiliated hospital for an anaphylactic reaction that developed immediately after she kissed her boyfriend. The boyfriend had eaten several shrimp just before the kiss. It is important to warn susceptible patients that food does not actually have to be eaten to trigger an allergic reaction; touching the offending food and kissing or touching someone who has recently eaten the food can be enough to cause a major reaction.