Facultad de Medicina

Non-IgE-mediated gastrointestinal food allergy (non-IgE-GI-FA) is the name given to a series of pathologies whose main entities are food protein-induced allergic proctocolitis (FPIAP), food protein-induced enteropathy (FPE), and food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES). These are more uncommon than IgE-mediated food allergies, their mechanisms remain largely unknown, and their diagnosis is mainly done by clinical history, due to the lack of specific biomarkers. In this review, we present the latest advances found in the literature about clinical aspects, the current diagnosis, and treatment options of non-IgE-GI-FAs. We discuss the use of animal models, the analysis of gut microbiota, omics techniques, and fecal proteins with a focus on understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms of these pathologies and obtaining possible diagnostic and/or prognostic biomarkers. Finally, we discuss the unmet needs that researchers should tackle to advance in the knowledge of these barely explored pathologies.

The role of the microbiome in the molecular mechanisms underlying allergy has become highly relevant in recent years. Studies are increasingly suggesting that altered composition of the microbiota, or dysbiosis, may result in local and systemic alteration of the immune response to specific allergens. In this regard, a link has been established between lung microbiota and respiratory allergy, between skin microbiota and atopic dermatitis, and between gut microbiota and food allergy. The composition of the human microbiota is dynamic and depends on host-associated factors such as diet, diseases, and lifestyle. Omics are the techniques of choice for the analysis and understanding of the microbiota. Microbiota analysis techniques have advanced considerably in recent decades, and the need for multiple approaches to explore and comprehend multifactorial diseases, including allergy, has increased. Thus, more and more studies are proposing mechanisms for intervention in the microbiota. In this review, we present the latest advances with respect to the human microbiota in the literature, focusing on the intestinal, cutaneous, and respiratory microbiota. We discuss the relationship between the microbiome and the immune system, with emphasis on allergic diseases. Finally, we discuss the main technologies for the study of the microbiome and interventions targeting the microbiota for prevention of allergy.