Mango is a food which may result in allergy symptoms in sensitised individuals.

Mango Allergy Test: Allergen Exposure

Mangoes are the fruit of an evergreen tree, in the same family as cashew, pistachio and poison ivy. The mango has been cultivated for several thousand years, principally in its native regions of Southeast Asia and Indo-Malaysia. Nowadays it flourishes in tropical and subtropical climates around the world, both as a domestic crop and a wild species.

The tree grows 15-30 m high and bears green to yellow and red ovoid fruit, with pink-orange flesh and a large central seed.

Mangoes are commonly eaten peeled and raw, but can also be made into fruit salads, as well as pickles, chutneys and drinks. Mango is a common ingredient in various vegetable and lentil dishes, particularly in Thai, Indian and Malaysian cuisine.

Ground mango seeds are a source of flour, and the juice can be used as a meat tenderiser.

The mango is is a good source of beta carotene and vitamin C.

Mango Allergy Test: Allergen Description

Several allergens found within mango have been characterised, both major and minor. Mango allergens were shown to be very stable during technological processing, having survived mashing, pasteurisation, pureeing and other types of processing virtually unchanged.

Mango Allergy Test: Potential Cross-Reactivity

Extensive cross-reactivity between different individual species of the family and genus (e.g. pistachio and cashew nut) could be expected, but in fact does not occur frequently.

A high degree of cross-reactivity was found between mango profilin and profilin from birch pollen.

In latex-fruit syndrome, banana, avocado, chestnut and kiwi are the most frequently implicated foods, but associations with several other fruits and vegetables have been reported, including pineapple, fig, passion fruit, mango, tomato, bell pepper, carrot, oregano, dill, sage, papaya, wheat and cherimoya.

Cross-reactivity was found between pistachio nut, cashew nut, and mango seed, but this cross-reactivity did not extend to mango pulp.

A woman who became sensitised to poison ivy or poison oak while in the USA showed a cross-reaction to other Rhus species, as well as to mango.

Mango Allergy Test: Clinical Experience

Mango may result in hypersensitivity reactions in mango-sensitised individuals. Adverse reactions may occur as a result of ingestion of mango or contact with mango skin. Allergy to mango as a result of cross-reactivity to latex has frequently been described.

The frequency of reported adverse reactions to Mango resulting in symptoms of food allergy in sensitised individuals may be underestimated because of the infrequent consumption of this fruit in the Northern Hemisphere. With wider consumption of mango, increased frequency of reported adverse reactions is likely.

Oral Allergy Syndrome (OAS) is a set of reactions to mango ingestion. Among the symptoms reported in individual cases are urticaria, facial swelling, angioedema, pruritis of the eyes and/or mouth, more generalised pruritis, abdominal cramping, erythema, and dermatitis. Respiratory complaints include wheezing, dyspnoea, and asthma. Anaphylaxis after eating mango has long been described.

Mango allergy was reported in a latex-sensitised 45-year-old nurse. She had been diagnosed with latex allergy 3 years before, and had occasionally eaten mango for the 2 years before this episode. She suffered oral allergy syndrome, rhinoconjunctivitis, cough and dyspnoea immediately following ingestion of mango.

A 36-year-old woman with allergic rhinitis, who had previously experienced urticaria and angioedema immediately after the ingestion of sunflower seed, reported an immediate onset of urticaria and angioedema after the ingestion of mango. She tolerated pistachio and cashew nut without any problem.

Other reactions

Some patients complain of abdominal distension and excessive flatus after ingesting certain fruits, such as mango; this could be a result of fructose intolerance.

Asthma and allergic rhinitis from mango tree pollen have been reported.