Brother Catches Sister’s Kiwi Allergy Following Transplant

When it comes to transplants, there’s always the concern a disease could be passed from donor to recipient. But what about an allergy? In a first recognized case, a food allergy has been transferred to a patient following a bone marrow transplant. The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology says a 46-year-old recipient woke up after surgery earlier this month, allergic to kiwi. He got the bone marrow from his sister, and she’s allergic to the fruit. Researchers say, while transferable allergies have been theorized in the past, this is the first legitimate documented case.