# Pitaya allergy: a case report of anaphylaxis in a patient without cross-reactive allergens

## TL;DR

A 26-year-old man experienced anaphylaxis from eating dragon fruit (pitaya) without any other allergies or cross-reactivity.

## Contribution

This is the first reported case of pitaya-induced anaphylaxis without cross-sensitization to other allergens.

## Key findings

- A 26-year-old male had anaphylaxis after consuming pitaya with no prior atopic history.
- Skin testing confirmed pitaya allergy without cross-reactivity to other foods or allergens.
- The case suggests pitaya can cause isolated allergies without other sensitizations.

## Abstract

Pitaya, commonly known as dragon fruit, is increasingly available and has allergenic potential. Pollens have been found to have cross-reactivity and thus induce allergies to several fruits, however, to our knowledge this is first report of pitaya anaphylaxis in a patient without co-sensitization to other fruit or environmental allergens.

A 26-year-old male presented to the emergency department with anaphylaxis after consumption of pitaya (dragon fruit). He had no prior history of atopy. Epicutaneous skin testing demonstrated positive to pitaya and negative to all other cross-reactive food and environmental allergens, suggesting his pitaya allergy did not derive from cross-sensitization.

Our case is unique in demonstrating the potential for pitaya allergy to occur independent of other allergies and cross-sensitization. Future research is warranted into suspected allergenic proteins in pitaya and quantifying their structural similarity to other known allergens.