An itchy mouth after calamari rings, or hives after paella on holiday? Squid is a mollusc, not a fish, and its main allergen is related to the one in shrimp and dust mite. Our test checks your blood for IgE to whole squid, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, next to clam, shrimp, crab and lobster.
Squid is a cephalopod, a mollusc in the same group as octopus and cuttlefish. Its best-known allergen is tropomyosin, a heat-stable muscle protein. Crustaceans such as shrimp, and also house dust mites, carry a related tropomyosin.
Mollusc tropomyosin differs more from crustacean tropomyosin than crustaceans differ from each other. So some people react to shrimp and squid, and others to only one. The pattern is real but harder to predict.
Squid can carry larvae of Anisakis, a sea fish worm. Some people react to the worm's proteins rather than to the squid. Our panel measures two Anisakis proteins, so you see both on one report.
Fried calamari is often served with other seafood, in batter made with wheat and egg, or with aioli. If you reacted to a mixed plate, the whole panel helps narrow down which part your blood reacts to.
Reactions people describe after eating squid or other molluscs include itching in the mouth, hives, swollen lips, stomach cramps, vomiting and wheezing. They 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 a finger-prick sample, the lab measures IgE to a whole squid extract. Clam, shrimp (ten markers, including tropomyosin), crab, lobster and Anisakis are on the same panel of 300 allergens and allergen components, together with house dust mite tropomyosin.
Your lab report gives the value a class from Negative to Very high. That shows sensitisation, not a diagnosis. Discuss the result with a doctor before you change your diet.
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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. Squid is a mollusc and shrimp is a crustacean. Their tropomyosins are related but not the same, so people can react to one and not the other. Your report shows squid, clam, shrimp, crab and lobster separately.
No. Calamari is squid, a mollusc. Its allergens differ from fish allergens such as parvalbumin. People with fish allergy do not automatically react to squid, and the other way round.
Octopus and cuttlefish are close relatives of squid with similar proteins, so sensitisation often overlaps. They are not on the panel separately. A doctor can advise based on your squid and clam results.
