Allergic Reaction to Pesticide on Blueberries Reported

A recent study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology reportedly attributes an anaphylactic reaction in a 10-year-old girl to the antibiotic pesticide applied to the blueberries in the pie she was eating. François Graham et al., “Risk of allergic reaction and sensitization to antibiotics in foods,” Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, September 2014. The girl was known to be allergic to penicillin and cow’s milk but not to any ingredients in the blueberry pie. Following weeks of testing on the girl and on the sample of pie, researchers concluded that the streptomycin, an antibiotic often used as a pesticide to combat the growth of bacteria, fungi and algae in fruit, caused her reaction. “As far as we know, this is the first report that links an allergic reaction to fruits treated with antibiotic pesticides,” lead author Anne Des Roches was quoted as saying in a September 3, 2014, press release from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Issue 537