Royal Jelly
Royal Jelly, a honey bee secretion is used by some as a dietary supplement. Unfortunately, it has been implicated in a number of cases of anaphylactic reactions including those detailed below.
After taking royal jelly and several other medicinal products, a 33-year-old man developed severe facial itching and redness of the skin, followed by vertigo, numbness in his fingers, generalized itching, wheals, breathing problems, wheezing and impaired consciousness. Allergy testing resulted with a positive reaction to royal jelly. [2]
Testi et al describe the case of a 28 year old man experienced breathing problems, wheezing, cough, chest tightness and loss of consciousness. As the reactions all took place after he had taken an antibiotic, it was assumed that it was an anaphylactic reaction to the drug. Testing, however, found no adverse reactions to the drug. After careful questioning it was established that he had taken royal jelly after each antibiotic dose. Skin prick testing confirmed that royal jelly was the allergen responsible for the man’s reactions. [3]
Katayama and Kawana report on the case of a 26-year-old woman who developed anaphylaxis after drinking a beverage of crude royal jelly including honey. A range of allergy tests were performed and the culprit was identified as being royal jelly. [1]
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REFERENCES
(1) Katayama M, Aoki M, Kawana S. Case of anaphylaxis caused by ingestion of royal jelly. J Dermatol. 2008 Apr;35(4):222-4.
(2) Takahama H, Shimazu T. Food-induced anaphylaxis caused by ingestion of royal jelly. J Dermatol. 2006 Jun;33(6):424-6.
(3) Testi S, Cecchi L, Severino M, Manfredi M, Ermini G, Macchia D, Capretti S, Campi P. Severe anaphylaxis to royal jelly attributed to cefonicid. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol. 2007;17(4):281.