Background: Clinical management of shrimp allergy is hampered by the lack of accurate tests. Molecular diagnosis has been shown to more accurately reflect the clinical reactivity but the full spectrum of shrimp allergens and their clinical relevance are yet to be established. We therefore sought to comprehend the allergen repertoire of shrimp, investigate and compare the sensitization pattern and diagnostic value of the allergens in allergic subjects of two distinct populations.Methods: Sera were collected from 85 subjects with challenge‐proven or doctor‐diagnosed shrimp allergy in Hong Kong and Thailand. The IgE‐binding proteins of Penaeus monodon were probed by Western blotting and identified by mass spectrometry. Recombinant shrimp allergens were synthesized and analyzed for IgE sensitization by ELISA.Results: Ten IgE‐binding proteins were identified, and a comprehensive panel of 11 recombinant shrimp allergens was generated. The major shrimp allergens among Hong Kong subjects were troponin C (Pen m 6) and glycogen phosphorylase (Pen m 14, 47.1%), tropomyosin (Pen m 1, 41.2%) and sarcoplasmic‐calcium binding protein (Pen m 4, 35.3%), while those among Thai subjects were Pen m 1 (68.8%), Pen m 6 (50.0%) and fatty acid‐binding protein (Pen m 13, 37.5%). Component‐based tests yielded significantly higher area under curve values (0.77–0.96) than shrimp extract‐IgE test (0.70–0.75). Yet the best component test differed between populations; Pen m 1‐IgE test added diagnostic value only in the Thai cohort, whereas sensitizations to other components were better predictors of shrimp allergy in Hong Kong patients.Conclusion: Pen m 14 was identified as a novel shrimp allergen predictive of challenge outcome. Molecular diagnosis better predicts shrimp allergy than conventional tests, but the relevant component is population dependent.

Allergy to shellfishes, including mollusks and crustaceans, is a growing health concern worldwide. Crustacean shellfish is one of the “Big Eight” allergens designated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is the major cause of food-induced anaphylaxis. Shrimp is one of the most consumed crustaceans triggering immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic reactions. Over the past decades, the allergen repertoire of shrimp has been unveiled based on conventional immunodetection methods. With the availability of genomic data for penaeid shrimp and other technological advancements like transcriptomic approaches, new shrimp allergens have been identified and directed new insights into their expression levels, cross-reactivity, and functional impact. In this review paper, we summarize the current knowledge on shrimp allergens, as well as allergens from other crustaceans and mollusks. Specific emphasis is put on the genomic information of the shrimp allergens, their protein characteristics, and cross-reactivity among shrimp and other organisms.

Background: Shellfish allergy poses a significant health risk affecting up to 2% of the global population. Comprehensive allergen profiling across species is crucial for improving diagnostics and therapies, given the challenges posed by cross‐reactivity. This study aims to identify and compare the allergen profiles of six widely consumed edible crab species. Methods: Muscle proteins were extracted from five brachyurans (true crabs) including Charybdis feriata , Portunus pelagicus , Scylla paramamosain , Chionoecetes opilio , and Eriocheir sinensis , as well as the king crab Paralithodes camtschaticus , and were analyzed for IgE reactivity with serum samples from 29 crab‐allergic individuals and three nonallergic controls. IgE‐binding proteins were identified by immunoblotting followed by mass spectrometry. Recombinant king crab allergen was purified and tested on ELISA against samples from 50 crab‐allergic individuals, with its specific IgE reactivity evaluated by inhibition ELISA and immunoblot. Comparison of the gene expression of the identified allergens along with reported epitopes was revealed through comparative transcriptomics and multiple sequence alignments. Results: IgE reactivity was detected only in serum samples from crab‐allergic individuals. Immunoblotting distinguished eight putative crab allergens and three registered crab allergens. The protein and allergen profiles of the king crab were distinct from the brachyuran crab species based on dendrogram analysis; malate dehydrogenase (MDH) was distinctly reactive only in king crab with 41.4% sensitization on immunoblot, while recombinant MDH displayed a 14% sensitization rate, leading to its registration as Para c 11. MDH homologs from true crabs showed minimal inhibition to Para c 11 (< 10%). Based on transcriptomic analysis, the identified crab allergens showed similar expression across species, while the sequence and epitope similarity exceeded 68%. Conclusion: The study provides molecular insights into crab allergen diversity and highlights the potential for species‐specific crab allergies with Para c 11 as a potential king crab‐specific allergen, paving the way for personalized and advanced component‐resolved diagnostics.

Collective interaction of individuals in various settings is crucial for exposure to infections, encompassing complex viral interplay and amplifying infectious risk through phenomena such as social reinforcement, clustering and superspreading events, during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, standard epidemic models often inadequately capture such heterogeneity, overlooking the higher-order social structural. Spatiotemporal variation in transmission, an essential feature of the pandemic, remains poorly quantified at various scales, particularly in integrating high-resolution data streams and complex network approaches. We introduced a higher-order simplicial model that unifies human mobility data, genetic diversity and antigenic drift to systematically investigate the role of social reinforcement, spatiotemporal variation and genetic mutations in SARS-CoV-2 transmission. We found a median of 5.3% to 14.4% of infections across provinces were attributed to social reinforcement, while cluster heterogeneity contributed to a median of 17%–71% increase in susceptibility. Multiple viral interactions elevated transmissibility by 68%–70% across the periods of dominant variants. The reconstructed transmission networks underscored distinct spatiotemporal variation, with dynamic critical locations, varying mobility patterns, and evolving geographic cluster structures, by assessing complex networks. The influence of human mobility was found to be positive on transmission, effective distance was negatively associated with infection risks, while greater genetic diversity and antigenic drift were linked to higher susceptibility and transmissibility. Our proposed data-driven higher-order framework could help us to understand epidemics better by accounting the role of collective interactions, population mobility, and genetic mutation in transmission, which could inform the targeted interventions to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens.