Main allergy triggers

Updated 12 February 2013

Main allergy triggers

There are more than 240 allergens, some rare and others very common. Who’d have thought that barley, pigeon feathers, silk, egg yolk, vanilla and lentils could be allergens?

There are more than 240 allergens, some rare and others very common. Who’d have thought that barley, pigeon feathers, silk, egg yolk, horsemeat, vanilla and lentils could be allergens? It’s true.

But before you banish your parrot, throw away your shirt and give up lentils for Lent, find out what the major allergens are. The chances are good that you’re not allergic to the more obscure ones.

The major allergens are:

Grass pollens: Bermuda grass, Rye grass
Tree pollens: Oak, Olive, Eucalyptus, Acacia
Weed pollens: Mugwort, Sheep sorrell
Moulds: Cladosporium fumigatus, Alternaria alternata
Mites: Dermataphogoides pteronyssinus, Dermataphogoides farinae
Occupational hazards: Latex
Cigarette smoke
Drug allergies: Penicilloyl G, Penicilloyl V, Amoxilloyl
Venoms: Honey bee
Insects: cockroach
Parasites: Acsaris (mainly in the Western Cape), Schistosoma (mainly in the north of the country).