Alternaria alternata is a plant rot fungus which contains allergenic proteins which can cause allergic symptoms. It is in the Pleosporaceae family of fungus. It looks like dark brown or black spots on the leaves of the plant.
It is most commonly associated with spinach, but has also been found on tomato, cucumber, peppers, apples, melons and citrus fruits. This allergy is more likely to affect people who eat spinach over the other foods as this is the plant where the leaves are eaten rather than the fruit.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognises 12 airway allergens in the mould which can affect those who have asthma. One of theses proteins is enolase, which is found in other moulds, fungus and yeasts.
Other allergenic proteins include heat shock proteins, ribosomal proteins, Glutathione-S-transferase, Manganese superoxide dismutase and a serine protease.
I have put together some more comprehensive resources at https://www.allergyresources.co.uk/Alternaria.php
The allergy resources page for Alternaria alternata covers the types of allergens found in the mould, the allergic syndromes linked to this allergy and other foods that are commonly cross-reactive with Alternaria.
There are also regularly updated links to useful websites specifically for Alternaria mould allergies and the latest research papers on the topic.
If you have multiple allergies and are interested in how they are linked or want to find out more about food allergies outside the usual top 14 then you can follow me on Facebook or Twitter, where I share a food allergy card every day of the week.
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