Pork-Cat Syndrome: Using component testing to solve the mystery
Abigail, a 19-year-old woman, visits her healthcare provider for guidance on her chronic gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms associated with eating meat.*
Her healthcare provider conducts a full clinical history and physical examination and decides to evaluate specific IgE sensitizations using both whole allergens and allergen components including alpha-Gal.
Abigail has chronic GI issues. What did specific IgE blood testing reveal?
Patient History
Family History
- None
Abigail's Personal History
- Abigail has a diagnosed cat allergy
- A history, although not recent, of tick bites
Abigail's ImmunoCAP™ Test Results
These results together with this patient's case history and symptoms, help confirm the diagnosis.
| Test | Type | Abigail's Results |
| alpha-Gal | Allergen Component | 0.13 |
| Cat Dander | Whole Allergen | >100.00 |
| Cat Serum Albumin Fel d 2 | Allergen Component | 29.50 |
| Pork Serum Albumin | Allergen Component | 18.60 |
| Total IgE | 1406.00 |
Differential Diagnosis
Abigail has very low IgE levels to alpha-Gal, but has significant/high IgE to cat dander, cat serum albumin (Fel d 2), and pork serum albumin. Her GI symptoms could be explained by her sensitization to albumin, a protein that's found in both cat dander and in pork.1,2
REFINED DIAGNOSIS
- Abigail’s component sensitization profile confirms pork-cat syndrome, a primary cat dander sensitization that gives rise to cross-reactivity between cat serum albumin and pork serum albumin.2, 3
HEALTHCARE PROVIDER MANAGEMENT PLAN
- Abigail’s healthcare provider referred her to a dietitian for help in adjusting her diet.
- Abigail was advised to strictly avoid pork.
FOLLOW UP
- With a diet avoiding pork, Abigail’s chronic GI issues have been absent for several months.
The people, places, and events depicted in these case studies and photographs do not represent actual patients, nor are they affiliated in any way with Thermo Fisher Scientific.
*This case study was adapted from Platts-Mills T, Li R, Keshavarz B, Smith A, Wilson J. Diagnosis and Management of Patients with the α-Gal Syndrome. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2020;8(1):15-23.e1.
- Platts-Mills T, Li R, Keshavarz B, Smith A, Wilson J. Diagnosis and Management of Patients with the α-Gal Syndrome. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 2020;8(1):15-23.e1.
- Tripathi A, Commins SP, Heymann PW, Platts-Mills TA. Delayed anaphylaxis to red meat masquerading as idiopathic anaphylaxis. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2014 May-Jun;2(3):259-65.
- Posthumus J, James HR, Lane CJ, Matos LA, Platts-Mills TA, Commins SP. Initial description of pork-cat syndrome in the United States. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2013;131:923-5.
