Pastor Vargas, CarlosAroa S. MarotoAraceli Díaz‐PeralesVillalba Díaz, María TeresaVanesa EstebanMarta Ruiz‐RamosMarta Rodriguez de AlbaVivanco Martínez, FernandoJavier Cuesta‐Herranz2024-07-222024-07-222016-07-29Pastor-Vargas C, Maroto AS, Díaz-Perales A, Villalba M, Esteban V, Ruiz-Ramos M, de Alba MR, Vivanco F, Cuesta-Herranz J. Detection of major food allergens in amniotic fluid: initial allergenic encounter during pregnancy. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2016 Nov;27(7):716-720. doi: 10.1111/pai.12608. Epub 2016 Jul 29. PMID: 27341427.0905-61571399-303810.1111/pai.12608https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/106950Background: Ingestion of food allergens present in maternal milk during breastfeeding has been hypothesized as a gateway to sensitization to food; however, this process could develop during pregnancy, as the maternal-fetal interface develops a Th2- and Treg-mediated environment to protect the fetus. We hypothesized that in these surroundings, unborn children are exposed to food allergens contained in the mother's diet, possibly giving rise to first sensitization. Methods: The presence of allergens in utero was studied by analyzing amniotic fluid (AF) samples in two different stages of pregnancy: at 15-20 weeks and after delivery at term. An antibody microarray was developed to test for the most common food allergens. The array detects the presence of ten allergens from milk, fruit, egg, fish, nuts, and wheat. Results: AF from 20 pregnant women was collected: eight after delivery at term and 12 from women who underwent diagnostic amniocentesis between weeks 15 and 20 of gestation. The presence of allergens was detected in all samples. Samples from amniocentesis had a higher allergen concentration than samples after delivery at term. Conclusions: We demonstrated the presence of intact major food allergens in AF samples. This early contact could explain subsequent sensitization to foods never eaten before.engAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationaljournal articlehttps://doi.org/10.1111/pai.12608https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/pai.12608open access616-056.3Amniotic fluidAntibody arrayFood allergensFood allergyAlergologíaAlergología32 Ciencias Médicas3207.01 Alergias