Itchy mouth or hives after a chicken curry, but eggs are fine? Chicken meat allergy is rare and easy to miss, because most people assume poultry is safe. Our test checks your blood for IgE to chicken meat and to one of its muscle proteins, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, on the same report as egg, turkey and fish.
Most children with egg allergy eat chicken without trouble, because the main egg white proteins are not in the meat. Chicken meat allergy is a separate thing, and it is more often seen in older children and adults.
The allergens in chicken meat are mainly muscle proteins. One of them, Gal d 7, is a myosin light chain, part of the muscle fibre. Others include parvalbumin, enolase and aldolase, which are also found in fish.
Fish-chicken syndrome: some people with fish allergy also react to chicken meat. Researchers in Luxembourg and France traced this to similar muscle proteins in fish and chicken, such as parvalbumin, enolase and aldolase.
Bird-egg syndrome: people sensitised to bird feathers, often from keeping birds, can make IgE to chicken serum albumin (Gal d 5). That protein sits in egg yolk and in chicken meat, especially in undercooked meat and offal. Gal d 5 is on the panel under egg yolk.
Some people react to chicken meat without either pattern. That is why the panel also measures the whole chicken extract and the muscle protein Gal d 7.
Reports include itching in the mouth, hives, swollen lips, stomach pain, vomiting and, less often, wheezing or severe reactions. Reactions usually start within minutes to two hours.
Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or feeling faint after eating is an emergency. Call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number. Do not wait for a test.
From your finger-prick sample, the lab measures IgE to a whole chicken meat extract and to one single chicken muscle protein, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components. Egg white, egg yolk (including Gal d 5), turkey and several fish are on the same panel, so a doctor can see which pattern fits.
A positive result shows sensitisation, not a confirmed allergy. Your lab report gives each value a class from Negative to Very high. Do not drop chicken from your diet on the result alone.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
Yes. The main egg white allergens are not in chicken meat, and chicken meat allergens are mostly muscle proteins. Many people with chicken meat sensitisation eat eggs without trouble, and the reverse is common too. The panel measures both separately.
Fish and chicken share similar muscle proteins, such as parvalbumin, enolase and aldolase. This is called fish-chicken syndrome. Not everyone with fish allergy reacts to chicken. A doctor can compare your fish and chicken results.
Not necessarily. Chicken and turkey muscle proteins are very alike, and sensitisation often covers both. Turkey is on the same panel, so you see both results on one report. Ask a doctor before switching.
