Those with food allergies could be at risk of an allergic reaction due to traces of pesticides on fruit, a new study shows.
The residue of antibiotic pesticides that are used in orchards and farming could trigger allergic reactions or even anaphylactic shock, according to the new study published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Researchers looked at a case where a patient suffered an anaphylactic reaction after eating a blueberry pie, but did not have any known allergies to any of its ingredients. After weeks of tests on both the patient and samples of the pie, researchers determined that an antibiotic pesticide known as streptomycin may have caused the allergic reaction.
Streptomycin, also an antibiotic drug, is used as a pesticide in the growing of fruits to help stave off bacteria, fungi and algae during the growing process. The blueberries in the pie that was tested were shown to have been contaminated with the drug.
The study is the first report linking allergic reactions to fruits treated with antibiotic pesticides. In the US, antibiotics are allowed for agriculture and growing foods but some European countries have banned the use of antibiotics as pesticides.
‘Allergic diseases are the fifth most prevalent chronic diseases in all ages, and the third most common in children,’ according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI.)
Image credit: Kwangmoozaa/Shutterstock
