Can allergies be passed from one person to another?

[Weed84]

Hello,

I am curious, can you pass allergies from one person to another person ?


Thanks

Wee

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

That is unlikely

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

Unlike infections that can spread from one person to the next, allergies are immunologically based and they are not contagious or spread from one person to another. In order to develop allergies, a person must inherit the genetic machinery from their parents.

In allergies, the body makes IgE antibodies in response to a harmless antigen, such as a food molecule. IgE antibodies are usually found on the surface of special immune cells known as mast cells that occur in tissues throughout the body. If the molecules on the surface of a mast cell bind to their specific antigen they stimulate the mast cell to release several chemical messengers. The normal purpose of these chemicals is to organise a more effective immune response, but in sufficient quantities they can produce the damaging symptoms of allergy. The Antigen that causes such a reaction is known as an allergen.'

http://www.barefoot-botanicals.com/allergy-testing.asp
Hope it helps.

Take care and regards.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

That is unlikely because of the fact allergies are induced by the development of specific reactions by the body to specific substances. Further this may be caused by Cell mediated immunity.

This may not be transmitted via blood or some other means.

It is only developed individually in a person.

You may read more about it at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allergy

hope this helped. Let me know if you may need any more help/information