ABSTRACT
Food allergies are illnesses that occur in some individuals as the result of abnormal immunological responses to a particular food or food component, usually a naturally occurring protein (1-4). Two different types of immunological mechanisms are known to be involved in true food allergies: immediate hypersensitivity reactions and delayed hypersensitivity reactions (3). Immediate hypersensitivity reactions are antibody-mediated; immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated food allergies are the only well-recognized form of antibody-mediated, immediate hypersensitivty associated with foods. Delayed hypersensitivity reactions are cell-mediated.
