Hypersensitivity reactions to ingested crustacea: clinical evaluation and diagnostic studies in shrimp-sensitive individuals.

Adverse reactions to ingested crustacea are common and may be life-threatening. We studied 14 individuals with histories of such reactions to shrimp by immediate skin tests and RAST with extracts of shrimp, crab, crayfish, and lobster. Nine of these subjects (8/8 atopics and 1/6 nonatopics) had positive immediate skin tests (wheal greater than or equal to 2 mm) and RAST (ratios greater than 3.0) to shrimp. Their skin tests and RAST ratios to the other crustacea were also frequently positive even, in several cases, in the absence of prior exposure. In contrast, only 1/10 volunteers with no history of intolerance to crustacea had a weak positive skin test to raw shrimp. These studies suggest that both skin tests and RAST are useful in the confirmation of hypersensitivity to shrimp in atopic individuals and that cross-reactivity among crustacea may exist.