Hidden Peanut Allergen as a Cause for Anaphylaxis

Abstract

A 6-year-old boy known to be allergic to peanuts inadvertently ingested peanut in a processed food that he normally eats without problems. Further investigation revealed that this food contained a substantial amount of peanut that was not revealed on the label. It appears that the contamination occurred at the raw material supplier level. Peanut-allergic individuals may ingest peanut even with diligence in reading labels and should always be prepared to handle an allergic emergency.