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AT IYASU HEALTHCARE WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER ALEX³ ALLERGY TESTING -

THE GOLD STANDARD IN ALLERGY TESTING

 

ONE BLOOD TEST  •  300 ALLERGENS  •  145 ALLERGEN SOURCES

 

Food  •  Pollen  •  House dust mites  •  Animals  •  Moulds  •  Insect venoms  •  Latex

 

What is ALEX³?
ALEX³ (Allergy Xplorer) is a multiplex blood test that measures total IgE and allergen-specific IgE against a broad panel of whole allergen extracts and individual allergen molecules. Molecular testing can help distinguish genuine primary sensitisation from some patterns of cross-reactivity.

IYASU Healthcare  •  19 Main Street, Longniddry EH32 0NE  •  www.iyasuhealthcare.com

 

 

Understanding your ALEX³ test

ALEX³ is designed to provide a broad picture of IgE sensitisation from a single blood sample. The current panel contains 300 allergens from 145 allergen sources, spanning common foods and environmental triggers as well as selected less-common allergens.

Important: a positive specific-IgE result shows sensitisation. It does not, by itself, prove that an allergen is causing your symptoms.

 

What does the test measure?[

• Total IgE – an overall measure of IgE antibodies in the blood.

• Specific IgE – antibodies directed against particular allergen sources.

• Molecular allergen components – individual proteins within an allergen source. These can sometimes provide more detail about the likely pattern of sensitisation and cross-reactivity.

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What ALEX³ does not diagnose

ALEX³ is an IgE allergy test. It is not a general test for food intolerance and does not diagnose conditions such as lactose intolerance, coeliac disease or non-IgE-mediated food reactions. Results should be interpreted alongside your symptoms, medical history and, where appropriate, specialist assessment.

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How to use this guide

The lists below show the allergen sources represented on the ALEX³ panel.

Where the test measures several molecular components from the same source, the number of allergens is shown in brackets.

The exact laboratory panel may be updated by the manufacturer over time.

 

 

Grass pollens

• Bahia grass

• Bermuda grass

• Common reed

• Maize pollen

• Rye pollen

• Timothy grass (6 allergens)

Tree pollens

• Acacia

• Alder (2 allergens)

• Ash

• Arizona cypress

• Birch (3 allergens)

• Cypress

• London plane tree (3 allergens)

• Mountain cedar

• Oak

• Olive (2 allergens)

• Paper mulberry

• Sugi / Japanese cedar

• Tree of heaven

• Walnut pollen

Weed pollens

• Hemp (CBD)

• Hemp

• Lamb's quarter (2 allergens)

• Mugwort (3 allergens)

• Pigweed

• Ragweed (3 allergens)

• Ribwort

• Russian thistle (3 allergens)

• Wall pellitory (2 allergens)

 

Pollen results may show cross-reactivity between related plant proteins. Molecular components can help your clinician interpret whether sensitisation is likely to reflect a primary pollen allergy or a cross-reactive pattern.

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Mites

• Acarus siro

• American house dust mite (4 allergens)

• Blomia tropicalis (4 allergens)

• European house dust mite (8 allergens)

• Glycyphagus domesticus

• Lepidoglyphus destructor

• Tyrophagus putrescentiae (3 allergens)

 

Animal dander & epithelia

• Cat (4 allergens)

• Cattle

• Djungarian hamster

• Dog (7 allergens)

• Dog urine

• Goat epithelia

• Golden hamster

• Guinea pig

• Horse (3 allergens)

• Mouse

• Pig epithelia

• Rabbit (2 allergens)

• Rat

 

Moulds & other microorganisms

• Alternaria alternata (2 allergens)

• Aspergillus fumigatus (5 allergens)

• Cladosporium herbarum (2 allergens)

• Malassezia sympodialis (4 allergens)

• Penicillium chrysogenum

 

Animal allergy is usually caused by proteins from dander, saliva, urine or other secretions — not simply by animal hair.

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Food allergens

ALEX³ includes a wide range of foods and, for many important foods, individual molecular components. This can be particularly useful when considering cross-reactivity and the clinical relevance of a positive result.

Fruits

• Apple (2 allergens)

• Avocado (2 allergens)

• Banana (2 allergens)

• Cherry

• Coconut

• Fig

• Grape

• Kiwi (4 allergens)

• Mango

• Muskmelon

• Papaya

• Peach (2 allergens)

• Pear

• Strawberry

Grains & cereal-related allergens

• Barley

• Buckwheat (2 allergens)

• Corn / maize cereal (2 allergens)

• Cultivated rye

• Lupine seed

• Millet

• Oat

• Quinoa

• Spelt

• Wheat (5 allergens)

Legumes

• Chickpea

• Lentil (2 allergens)

• Pea (3 allergens)

• Peanut (8 allergens)

• Soy (4 allergens)

 

Nuts & seeds

• Almond (2 allergens)

• Brazil nut (2 allergens)

• Cashew (3 allergens)

• Hazelnut (5 allergens)

• Macadamia (2 allergens)

• Pecan (4 allergens)

• Pine nut (2 allergens)

• Pistachio (3 allergens)

• Poppy seed (2 allergens)

• Pumpkin seed

• Sesame (2 allergens)

• Sunflower seed (2 allergens)

• Walnut (5 allergens)

 

Vegetables

• Celery (4 allergens)

• Garlic

• Onion

• Potato

• Tomato

 

Spices

• Mustard

 

Do not remove foods from your diet solely because of a positive blood test. Unnecessary avoidance can make diets more restrictive and, in some situations, may have nutritional consequences.

 

Egg

• Chicken egg white (5 allergens)

• Chicken egg yolk (2 allergens)

Milk

• Camel's milk

• Cow's milk (8 allergens)

• Goat's milk

• Mare's milk

• Sheep's milk

 

Fish, shellfish & seafood

• Anisakis simplex (2 allergens)

• Atlantic cod

• Atlantic herring

• Atlantic mackerel (2 allergens)

• Black tiger shrimp (4 allergens)

• Brown shrimp

• Carp (3 allergens)

• Giant freshwater prawn (2 allergens)

• Lobster

• Northern prawn

• Salmon (3 allergens)

• Shrimp mix

• Squid

• Swordfish

• Thornback ray (2 allergens)

• Tuna

• Venus clam

• Whiteleg shrimp

Meat & other animal-protein foods

• Beef (2 allergens)

• Chicken (2 allergens)

• Horse

• House cricket

• Lamb

• Mealworm

• Migratory locust

• Pork

• Rabbit

• Red meat

• Turkey

 

The panel includes a red-meat/alpha-gal-related marker relevant to selected patterns of mammalian meat allergy.

 

Insects, cockroaches & venoms

• American cockroach (3 allergens)

• Bald-faced hornet (2 allergens)

• Common wasp (2 allergens)

• Fire ant

• German cockroach (5 allergens)

• Honeybee (4 allergens)

• Paper wasp (2 allergens)

 

Other allergens

• Latex (5 allergens)

• Pigeon tick

• Weeping fig

• Human lactoferrin (Hom s Lactoferrin)

If you have ever had breathing difficulty, collapse, throat swelling or another severe reaction after a sting, food or other exposure, please seek individual medical advice rather than relying on screening results alone.

 

Why molecular allergen testing can be useful

Traditional specific-IgE testing may use a whole allergen extract. ALEX³ also measures many individual allergen proteins. Different proteins can have different patterns of cross-reactivity and clinical relevance. This extra detail can sometimes help a clinician understand why several apparently unrelated tests are positive, or whether a result may reflect sensitisation to a shared protein family.

Examples of protein families encountered in molecular allergy diagnostics include PR-10 proteins, non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs), storage proteins, tropomyosins, parvalbumins and profilins. Interpretation is individual and should not be based on the protein name alone.

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Frequently asked questions

Does a positive result mean I am definitely allergic?

No. It means allergen-specific IgE has been detected. Whether that represents clinically important allergy depends on your history, symptoms, exposure and the pattern of results.

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Can ALEX³ test for food intolerance?

No. It assesses IgE sensitisation. Many food-related symptoms are not caused by IgE allergy, and conditions such as lactose intolerance require different assessment.

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Can I keep taking antihistamines before the blood test?

Antihistamines do not generally interfere with specific-IgE blood testing in the way they can affect skin-prick testing. Follow any individual instructions given by your clinician.

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Why are there several results for one food or animal?

Some sources contain several clinically relevant proteins. Component testing measures IgE to individual proteins and can add detail beyond a whole-extract result.

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Why might pollen and food tests both be positive?

Some plant foods and pollens contain structurally related proteins. IgE made against one protein may recognise a similar protein in another source — known as cross-reactivity.

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Should I stop eating foods that test positive?

Not automatically. If you currently eat a food without symptoms, discuss the result with a clinician before changing your diet.

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Your results at IYASU Healthcare

Your ALEX³ report should be interpreted in the context of the reason for testing and your clinical history. A broad panel can generate positive sensitisation results that are not responsible for symptoms, so clinical interpretation is an important part of making the test useful.

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