Transplant patient inherited an allergy

A 42-YEAR-old woman from Detroit with a lung condition underwent a lung transplant, using an organ donated by a person who had died from anaphylactic shock after eating food containing peanut elements.

Seven months after the transplant, the patient ate a peanut-butter biscuit and had an anaphylactic reaction, despite having no history of peanut allergy. Tests confirmed peanut allergy.

Doctors believe the transplanted organ contained overactive fighter cells from the donor’s immune system.

The case was reported in the Journal Of Heart And Lung Transplantation in 2008.