Dictionary of Allergies .. Betula

See, Birch, common silver. The majority of well characterized important allergens from various sources (e.g. trees, grasses, mites, etc.) seems to exist in multiple isoforms. The major allergen of birch pollen, Bet v I, exists in at least 20 distinct variants as visualized by 2D-SDS-PAGE immunoblotting. IgE from individual tree pollen allergic patients reacts with partially subsets of the isoallergenic spectrum and only few Bet v I isoforms seem to be recognized by all the patient sera.

References

Ipsen H., et al:  The isoallergenic variation of the major allergen of birch pollen, Bet v I.  Abstracts, EAACI '94.  June 26 - July 1, 1994, Stockholm, Sweden p.86.