Oral allergy syndrome (OAS), rinithis, gastrointestinal symptoms, pruritus inside the mouth, respiratory difficulty, generalized urticaria, and hypotension. Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003 [876], Garcia Ortiz et al. 1996 [877], Rodriguez et al. 2000 [917]

Prick by prick test with fresh melon pulp and three commercially available melon extracts. (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003; [876]; and Figueredo et al 2004). Prick by prick test with fresh melon pulp (Rodriguez et al. 2000) [917]

Histamine phosphate (10 mg/mL) and saline solution were used as a positive control and negative control respectively. A weal size of 3 mm larger than the negative control was regarded as positive (Rodriguez et al. 2000) [917] (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876]

35 individuals allergic to melon (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876]

53 adult patients were evaluated and 19 patients were allergic to melon (Rodriguez et al. 2000) [917]

65 melon patients (Figueredo et al 2004)

All the patients showed positive response to SPT (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876].

68% of the patients had a positive response (Rodriguez et al. 2000) [917]

53 adult patients (Rodriguez et al. 2000) [917]

Polyacrylamide concentrations of 15% and 5% were used for separating and stacking gels, respectively. The samples were mixed with 0.1 m Tris-HCl, pH 6.8 containing 4% (w/v) SDS, 20% (w/v) glycerol, 10% (w/v) 2-beta-mercaptoethanol and 0.005% (w/v) bromophenol blue. The samples were denatured by heating at 100 °C for 5 min (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876]

Fruit extract was fractionated by means of SDS-PAGE following the Laemmli system on Bio-Rad Miniprotean II System gels (15% polyacrylamide) (Rodriguez et al. 2003) [1005]

Protein bands were transferred by semidry blotting onto nitrocellulose sheets. Membranes were blocked with 3% (w/v) skimmed milk powder and incubated with the patients' sera diluted 1 : 5. After washing, blots were incubated with anti-human IgE peroxidase-conjugate antibody diluted 1 : 1000 in TBS-T containing 5% (v/v) foetal calf serum. The protein bands were visualized by chemiluminiscence with ECL (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876]

Protein bands were electrotransferred onto polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes. After washing and blocking, membranes were incubated with a serum pool or individual sera from patients with melon allergy or with control sera (1:3 dilutions) and then with alkaline phosphatase-conjugated monoclonal anti-human IgE (clon GE-1; 1:500 dilution) and developed by adding a 5-bromo-4-chloro-3 indoyl phosphate/nitro blue tetrazolium solution. (Rodriguez et al. 2003) [1005]

Incubation with serum pool or individual sera revealed six stained bands with an apparent molecular weight of 67, 54, 49, 36, 26 and 14 kDa. Four IgE binding bands were recognized by more than 50% of patient sera: 67 kDa, 54 kDa, 36 kDa and 14 kDa. The 36 kDa was the most frequent IgE-binding band, which was detected by 100% of the patient sera. (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876]

Immunodetection of melon-blotted extract with the serum pool from patients with OAS recognized several IgE-binding components between 13 and 60 kDa and a major reactive band of 13 kDa. At least 15 (71%) sera reacted with the 13-kDa band (profilin), and therefore it was identified as a major melon allergen. This band was the strongest IgE-binding component in 6 of these sera (Rodriguez et al. 2003) [1005]

Fresh melon pulp. Patients had to chew and swallow several doses until a positive response was obtained (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876], (Figueredo et al 2004)

Fresh melon (200 g) masked in orange and pineapple juices, sugar, wheat meal and liquid coloring. Subjects were challenged first randomly with either food or placebo (vehicle). The interval before the second part of the double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) was at least 24 hours (Rodriguez et al. 2000) [917]

Open challenge (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876] (Figueredo et al 2004)

Open challenge and double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) (Rodriguez et al. 2000) [917]

35 individuals allergic to melon (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876]

51 patients on an open challenge. Subjects showing a positive reaction on open provocation were subsequently challenged in a DBPCFC (Rodriguez et al. 2000) [917].

65 melon patients (Figueredo et al 2004)

All the patients showed OAS following oral challenge. One patient displayed rinitis and another gastrointestinal symptoms (Cuesta-Herranz et al. 2003) [876] .

25/51 patients were positive on open food challenges with melon and only 17 (68%) of 25 had reactions with DBPCFC. Most of the patients suffered from OAS whilst 11% of the patients had severe reactions that began quickly, within a few minutes after ingestion of melon, with pruritus inside the mouth. This progressed rapidly with feelings of respiratory difficulty, generalized urticaria, and hypotension (Rodriguez et al. 2000) [917]