Occupational disease of the skin in a cook's mate suffering from contact urticaria caused by type I sensitization to tropomyosin from squid

A cook's mate working in an Austrian restaurant reported to develop urticarial skin alterations after processing and cooking squid. A prick-to-prick test with squid showed a ++ urticarial reaction. Elevated specific IgE antibody levels to squid, shrimp and house dust mites as well as to tropomyosin from shrimp and house dust mite could be detected through ImmunoCAP. Through immunoblot and ELISA a reaction to squid extract and elevated IgE antibody levels to squid and tropomyosin from squid could be shown. The patient was diagnosed with a clinically and professionally relevant type I allergy to squid with a cross-reaction to tropomyosin of other invertebrates and therefore recognized as an occupational disease with a lowering of the ability to earn money of 10%.