Fine at home, then sneezing through a May holiday in Andalusia or Crete? Olive is one of the main pollen triggers around the Mediterranean, and its main protein closely resembles one in ash pollen. Our test checks IgE to three olive pollen proteins, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, next to ash, grasses and birch.
The olive tree (Olea europaea) is wind-pollinated and grown on a huge scale in southern Europe. In olive-growing regions it releases some of the highest pollen loads of any plant, and it is a leading hay fever trigger there.
Olive belongs to the olive family (Oleaceae), with ash, privet and lilac. Its main allergen, Ole e 1, is the founding member of the Ole e 1-like protein family. Ash has its own version, Fra e 1, which is why olive and ash sensitisation usually go together.
Olive trees do not grow at scale in Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands or Germany. Olive pollen still matters for two groups. The first is travellers: a spring trip to the Mediterranean can land you in the middle of the olive season.
The second is people sensitised to ash pollen. Because Fra e 1 and Ole e 1 look alike, IgE made against ash at home often recognises olive too. That is why Ole e 1 is used as a marker for ash sensitisation as well.
Symptoms are the classic hay fever set: sneezing, a runny or blocked nose, itchy and watery eyes, and for some people a cough or tight chest on high-pollen days.
In the Mediterranean, olive and grass pollen seasons overlap in May. That makes it hard to tell from symptoms alone which one is responsible, and separate results for each help.
From a finger-prick sample, the lab measures IgE to three single olive pollen proteins (molecular components), as part of 300 allergens and allergen components. There is no whole olive pollen extract on the panel. Ash (Fra e 1), grasses, birch and the other Mediterranean pollens such as cypress, plane tree and wall pellitory are on the same report.
A positive result means your blood shows IgE to olive pollen. That is sensitisation, not a diagnosis. Each value gets a class from Negative to Very high, to discuss with a doctor.
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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.
Around the Mediterranean olive usually flowers from late April to June, with the peak in May. Southern Spain and lowland areas start earlier, higher and more northern regions later.
One common reason is olive pollen, which is everywhere in southern Europe in May but rare in the north. Another is grass pollen, which peaks earlier in the south. A test shows whether your blood has IgE to olive, grass or both.
Yes. Olive and ash belong to the same plant family, and their main pollen proteins, Ole e 1 and Fra e 1, are very similar. People sensitised to ash pollen at home often show IgE to olive too, even if they have never been near an olive grove.
Olive pollen sensitisation is not the same as a reaction to olives or olive oil, and reactions to the fruit are rare. If you have reacted after eating olives, mention it to a doctor.
