Allergen

An allergen is something that causes allergies in humans.

Dust, pollen and pet dander are all common allergens. It is possible to be allergic to anything from chlorine to perfume. Food allergies are not as common, but some foods, like peanuts, nuts, seafood and shellfish cause serious allergies in lots of people.

Common allergens

Some common allergens could be:

• Animal products
  • Fel d 1 (cat allergy)
  • fur and dander
  • cockroach calyx
  • dust mite excretion
• Drugs
  • penicillin
  • sulfonamides
  • salicylates (also found naturally in numerous fruits)
  • local anaesthetics
• Foods
  • celery and celeriac
  • corn or maize
  • eggs (typically albumen, the white)
  • fruit
    • pumpkin
  • legumes
    • beans
    • peas
    • peanuts
    • soybeans
  • milk
  • seafood
  • sesame
  • soy
  • tree nuts
    • pecans
    • almonds
  • wheat
• Insect stings
  • bee sting venom
  • wasp sting venom
  • mosquito stings
• Mold spores
• Other
  • latex
  • metal
• Plant pollens (hay fever)
  • grass — ryegrass, timothy-grass
  • weeds — ragweed, plantago, nettle, artemisia vulgaris, chenopodium album, sorrel
  • trees — birch, alder, hazel, hornbeam, aesculus, willow, poplar, platanus, tilia, olea, Ashe juniper

Allergen Media

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  SEM of miscellaneous plant pollens. Pollens are very common allergens.

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  A bowl of peanuts, an egg, and a glass of milk. Credit: NIAID