Itchy throat after a slice of cantaloupe, but only in summer? Melon is one of the foods most often linked to profilin, a protein that plants share with grass pollen. Our test checks your blood for IgE antibodies to melon profilin, Cuc m 2, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components including grass pollen.
Profilin is a small protein found in almost every plant, from grass pollen to fruit. The versions in different plants look so alike that antibodies made against one often recognise the others. That is why profilin is called a pan-allergen.
Melon is the textbook example. In a Spanish study of people with confirmed melon reactions, profilin was the main melon protein their antibodies recognised, and the same antibodies picked up profilin in watermelon, cucumber and courgette. Profilin breaks down quickly in the stomach and with heat, which fits the usual picture: symptoms in the mouth and throat, not further down.
The typical description is itching or tingling of the lips, mouth or throat within minutes of eating fresh melon. Some people notice it is worse during the grass pollen season. Watermelon, banana, citrus and tomato are other foods profilin-sensitised people often name.
Less often, people report hives, swelling or breathing trouble. 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.
Many people with grass pollen hay fever have IgE to profilin and eat melon without any problem. So a positive Cuc m 2 result shows sensitisation. It does not tell you that you will react, or how strongly.
What makes the result useful is context. If Cuc m 2 and grass profilin both show up, that points to a shared profilin pattern rather than something unique to melon. A doctor reads that pattern together with your history of reactions.
Your finger-prick sample goes to the lab, which measures IgE to one single melon protein (molecular component), the profilin Cuc m 2. There is no whole melon extract on the panel. Your lab report gives it a measured value and class, from Negative to Very high, on the same report as timothy grass profilin (Phl p 12), so you can see whether the two appear together. Discuss the result with a doctor before you change what you eat.
Page last updated
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.
Most often because of profilin, a protein melon shares with grass and weed pollen. Antibodies made against pollen profilin can recognise melon's. The test measures melon profilin and grass profilin in the same sample, so you can see whether they appear together.
Often, yes. Melon reactions are common in people with grass pollen sensitisation, especially to grass profilin. Some notice their mouth itch is worse during the pollen season.
Not necessarily, but it is common. Watermelon, cucumber and courgette have similar profilins. A doctor can look at your result pattern and your history to decide what matters for you.
