A rare cause of aeroallergen-induced anaphylaxis: horse allergy.
Animal epithelia and saliva contain a substantial amount of aeroallergen material, causing both acute onset of symptoms related to hypersensitivity, and chronic inflammation of the airways leading to allergic rhinitis or asthma. Although allergy to horses is generally considered to be more prevalent in rural areas, sensitization to horse allergens is more frequent than might be expected in urban residents without any direct or occupational exposure to horses. However, horse allergy is seldom mentioned among animal-induced allergic reactions. Anaphylaxis due to horse exposure is reported even more rarely. Here, a pediatric patient with a hypersensitivity reaction after horse allergen exposure is reported, and the definition of the type of reaction is discussed, as it may be the whole set of locally induced multisystemic reactions that resembles anaphylaxis.