Table of Contents

f218 Paprika/Sweet Pepper Scientific Information Summary Route of Exposure Clinical Relevance Molecular Aspects

Whole Allergen

f218 Paprika/Sweet Pepper

f218 Paprika/Sweet Pepper Scientific Information

Type:

Whole Allergen

Display Name:

Paprika/Sweet Pepper

Family:

Solanaceae

Latin Name:

Capsicum annuum

Other Names:

Sweet Pepper, Paprika, Bell Pepper, Green Pepper, Hungarian Pepper, Red Pepper, Pimento, Pimiento

Summary

In the Solanaceae family, the genus Capsicum includes C. annuum with common names paprika/sweet pepper, bell pepper, chili pepper, cayenne pepper and jalapeños.

Extensive IgE cross-reactivity among members of C. annuum is anticipated due to their close botanical relationship.

Allergy to C. annuum species is rare. Symptoms can occur after ingestion or inhalation of spice dust.

Route of Exposure

C. annuum is the primary species of genus Capsicum with more than 200 common names in use. The most common include paprika (sweet varieties), bell pepper, chili pepper, cayenne pepper and jalapeños (Zhigila 2014).

Not known in the wild, paprika/sweet peppers are grown in cultivated beds. Sweet pepper is used mainly as a vegetable. It usually has a mild, sweet flavour, and is eaten raw or cooked. It also serves as a source of condiments and spices. Special red varieties are dried to make paprika powder, which is relatively mild compared to chili powder. Paprika is used as a seasoning and garnish and sometimes serves as a food colouring.

Clinical Relevance

IgE-mediated reactions

Allergy to C. annuum species is rare. Symptoms can occur after ingestion or inhalation of spice dust.

Sweet pepper or spices made from sweet pepper may induce symptoms of allergy and contact dermatitis in sensitised individuals (Anliker 2002, Van der Walt 2010, Callero 2018, Estrada-Rodriguez 2020, Galleani 2023).

Symptoms at work has been found to be associated with an IgE-mediated allergy due to the high and chronic exposure to sweet pepper pollen (Groenewoud 2002).

Molecular Aspects

Allergen description

The following allergens have been fully characterised and recognised by the International Union of Immunological Societies Allergen Nomenclature (http://www.allergen.org )

· Cap a 1, a thaumatin-like protein. (Hoffmann-Sommergruber 2001)

· Cap a 2, a profilin. (Jensen-Jarolim 1998. Ebner 1998)

· Cap a 7, Gibberellin-regulated protein (Takei 2022)

Other allergens detected include a Bet v 1 homologue, (Jensen-Jarolim 1998), an ascorbic acid oxidase and a 1,3-beta-glucanase (Wagner 2004) and a chitinase (Lee 2006).

Potential Cross Reactivity

Due to their close botanical relationship (Zhigila 2014, Olatunji 2018), extensive IgE cross-reactivity is expected among members of C. annuum, such as between paprika/sweet pepper and chili pepper (Takei 2022), and cayenne pepper (Airaksinen 2015).

Cross-reactivity to other plants containing the panallergens profilin and Bet v 1 could be expected to occur frequently. Patients with allergy to pepper and associated pollinosis show a high frequency of IgE reactivity to profilin (Wagner 2002).

Sensitisation to sweet pepper has been reported in latex-allergic patients (Wagner 2002). Approximately 30-50% of individuals who are allergic to natural rubber latex show an associated hypersensitivity to some plant-derived foods. This association is called Latex-fruit syndrome. An increasing number of plant sources, such as avocado, banana, chestnut, kiwi, peach, tomato, potato and sweet pepper, have been associated with this syndrome (Gromek 2024). Several types of allergenic proteins have been implicated: class I chitinases which cross-react with prohevein, and a beta-1,3-glucanase (Wagner 2004).

Reviewed by Dr. Magnus Borres, March 2025

References

Anliker MD, Borelli S, Wuthrich B. Occupational protein contact dermatitis from spices in a butcher: a new presentation of the mugwort-spice syndrome. Contact Dermatitis 2002;46(2):72-4.

Airaksinen L, Riekki R, Vuokko A, Puustinen A. Paprika Rhinoconjunctivitis Case Reveals New Occupational Capsicum Allergens. American J Industrial Medicine 2015; 58:791–794.

Callero A, Cabrera-Hernandez V, Perez-Rodríguez E, Jimeno-Nogales L, Martinez-Tadeo JA, Plata-Rodríguez E, Garcia-Robaina J. Bell Pepper Allergy: Different Sensitization Profiles. J Investig Allergol Clin Immunol 2018; 28(5): 340-342.

Ebner C, Jensen-Jarolim E, Leitner A, Breiteneder H. Characterization of allergens in plant-derived spices: Apiaceae spices, pepper (Piperaceae), and paprika (bell peppers, Solanaceae). Allergy 1998;53(46 Suppl):52-54.

Estrada-Rodriguez JL, Latasa-Eceizabarrena MJLL, Jiménez-Lozano J. A clinical case of paprika allergy. Current Allergy & Clinical Immunology. 2020;33 (3/4):183-184.

Galleani C, Valdelvira R, Carmen Diéguez M, Crespo JF, Cabanillas B. Anaphylaxis to pickled chili pepper (Capsicum frutescens): Role of pickling processing in the allergic reactivity. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2023;130(3):369-370.

Groenewoud GC, de Jong NW, van Oorschot-van Nes AJ, Vermeulen AM, van Toorenenbergen AW, Mulder PG, Burdorf A, de Groot H, van Wijk RG. Prevalence of occupational allergy to bell pepper pollen in greenhouses in the Netherlands. Clin Exp Allergy 2002;32(3):434-440.

Gromek W, Kołdej N, Świtała S, Majsiak E, Kurowski M. Revisiting Latex-Fruit Syndrome after 30 Years of Research: A Comprehensive Literature Review and Description of Two Cases. J Clin Med. 2024;13(14):4222 – 4240.

Hoffmann-Sommergruber K, Witty M, Campillo N, Krebitz M, Fuchs H, et al. Pru P 2, Mal d 2 and Cap a 1 are members of the thaumatin family and allergens: common structural features [Poster] 8th International Symposium on Problems of Food Allergy, Venice. 2001;11-13.

Jensen-Jarolim E, Santner B, Leitner A, Grimm R, Scheiner O, Ebner C, Breiteneder H. Bell peppers (Capsicum annuum) express allergens (profilin, pathogenesis-related protein P23 and Bet v 1) depending on the horticultural strain. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 1998;116(2):103-109.

Lee MF, Hwang GY, Chen YH, Lin HC, Wu CH. Molecular cloning of Indian jujube (Zizyphus mauritiana) allergen Ziz m 1 with sequence similarity to plant class III chitinases. Mol Immunol 2006; 43:1144-1151.

Olatunji, T. L.& Afolayan, A. J. Contributions to the Classification of Capsicum annuum L. and Capsicum frutescens L. in West Africa Using Morphological Traits. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca. 2018; 47:135–142.

Takei M, Nin C, Iizuka T, Pawlikowski M, Selva MA, Chantran Y, Nakajima Y, Zheng J, Aizawa T, Ebisawa M, Sénéchal H, Poncet P. Capsicum Allergy: Involvement of Cap a 7, a New Clinically Relevant Gibberellin-Regulated Protein Cross-Reactive With Cry j 7, the Gibberellin-Regulated Protein From Japanese Cedar Pollen. Allergy Asthma Immunol Res. 2022;14(3):328-338.

Van der Walt A, Lopata AL, Nieuwenhuizen NE, Jeebhay MF. Work-related allergy and asthma in spice mill workers - The impact of processing dried spices on IgE reactivity patterns. Int Arch Allergy Immunol 2010;152(3):271-278.

Wagner S, Breiteneder H. The latex-fruit syndrome. Biochem Soc Trans 2002;30(6):935-40.

Wagner S, Radauer C, Hafner C, Fuchs H, Jensen-Jarolim E, Wuthrich B, Scheiner O, Breiteneder H. Characterization of cross-reactive bell pepper allergens involved in the latex-fruit syndrome. Clin Exp Allergy 2004;34(11):1739-1746.

Zhigila DA, AbdulRahaman AA, Kolawole OS, Oladele FA. Fruit Morphology as Taxonomic Features in Five Varieties of Capsicum annuum L. Solanaceae. Journal of Botany 2014; 4:1-6.