Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2017 May;139(5):1710-1713.e2.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2016.10.037. Epub 2016 Dec 14.

Anaphylaxis after zoster vaccine: Implicating alpha-gal allergy as a possible mechanism

Cosby A Stone Jr  1 , Jonathan A Hemler  2 , Scott P Commins  3 , Alexander J Schuyler  4 , Elizabeth J Phillips  5 , R Stokes Peebles Jr  6 , John M Fahrenholz  6
Affiliations
Case Reports

Anaphylaxis after zoster vaccine: Implicating alpha-gal allergy as a possible mechanism

Cosby A Stone Jr et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2017 May.

Abstract

A patient with alpha-gal allergy presented with anaphylaxis after receiving zoster vaccine. Subsequent testing of selected vaccines revealed the presence of alpha-gal allergen in MMR and zoster vaccines, which have in common a higher content of gelatin and content of bovine calf serum.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

  • Specific IgE to gelatin as a cause of anaphylaxis to zoster vaccine.
    Retterer MKC, Workman LJ, Bacon JR, Platts-Mills TAE. Retterer MKC, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018 May;141(5):1956-1957. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.08.047. Epub 2018 Feb 1. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018. PMID: 29361333 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Reply.
    Stone CA Jr, Hemler JA, Commins SP, Schuyler AJ, Phillips EJ, Peebles RS Jr, Fahrenholz JM. Stone CA Jr, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018 May;141(5):1957-1958. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2017.08.048. Epub 2018 Jan 19. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2018. PMID: 29370925 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

References

    1. Commins S, Satinover SM, Hosen J, Mozena L, Borish L, Lewis BD. Delayed anaphylaxis, angioedema, or urticaria after consumption of red meat in patients with IgE antibodies specific for galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose. J Allergy and Clin Immunology. 2009;123:426–33. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kelso J, Greenhawt M, Li J, Nicklas R, Bernstein D, Blessing-Moore J, et al. Adverse reactions to vaccines practice parameter update. J Allergy and Clin Immunology. 2012;130:25–43. - PubMed
    1. Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2015. Available from https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/downloads/appendices/b/excipi....
    1. Pinson M, Waibel K. Safe administration of a gelatin-containing vaccine in an adult with galactose-α-1,3-galactose allergy. Vaccine. 2015;33:1231–2. - PubMed
    1. Manivannan V, Decker W, Stead L, Li J, Campbell R. Visual representation of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network criteria for anaphylaxis. Int J Emerg Med. 2009;2:3–5. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms