Allergies Drug & Latex Allergies Latex-Fruit Syndrome Triggers and Treatment By Daniel More, MD Daniel More, MD, is a board-certified allergist and clinical immunologist with a background in internal medicine. Learn about our editorial process Daniel More, MD Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Jurairat J. Molina, MD on February 15, 2021 facebook Jurairat J. Molina, MD, MBA is a board-certified allergist who has been practicing in field of allergy and clinical immunology for the past two decades. Learn about our Medical Review Board Jurairat J. Molina, MD on February 15, 2021 Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Cross-Reactivity Prevalence Foods Diagnosis Treatment Do you have a known allergy to natural rubber latex, and testing revealed a positive allergy to food? Or vice versa—are you allergic to certain foods, and your test revealed a positive allergy to latex? If so, there is a simple explanation: it's called cross-reactivity. Elizabeth Fernandez / Getty Images Cross-Reactivity and Your Latex-Fruit Allergy There are similar proteins in natural rubber latex and certain foods (most types of fruit or nuts), so cross-reactivity can occur. This means that if you have a latex allergy, you may experience allergic symptoms to certain foods, especially freshly consumed fruits, because those culprit foods have similar proteins to latex. Likewise, if you have an allergy to certain foods, you may experience allergic symptoms when coming into contact with latex. The reactions to these certain foods that occur in people with latex allergy are highly variable: they may include symptoms ranging from oral allergy syndrome to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Prevalence Between 30 percent and 50 percent of people with a latex allergy will have a positive allergy test to one or more foods. However, many of these positive skin tests do not necessarily mean that the person will experience allergic symptoms if the food is eaten. An Overview of Latex Allergy Foods Known to Cross-React A number of foods have been known to cross-react with latex. The following is not an exhaustive list, as new foods are added frequently: Avocado Banana Papaya Chestnut Kiwi Tomato Celery Pineapple Apple Melon Potato Eggplant Passion Fruit Mango Cherimoya Green Pepper Diagnosis If you have a known latex allergy, it is important to be evaluated for the possibility of food allergy to various fruits, including those listed above. This may involve skin testing using commercial extracts, as well as the “prick-prick” method with fresh fruit. Treatment Due to the potential for severe symptoms of food allergy, avoidance of the culprit foods is strongly recommended in people with positive allergy tests. Other recommendations for people with latex and food allergies include obtaining a Medic-Alert bracelet and always carrying injectable epinephrine, such as an Epi-Pen. A Word From Verywell Be aware of the potential foods that may cross-react with latex if you or a loved one has a known latex allergy. Seeing an allergist, getting tested, and discussing how you can best manage your latex-fruit syndrome (if diagnosed) are important for your health. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Sampson HA et al. Food allergy: a practice parameter update-2014. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014 Nov;134(5):1016-25.e43. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2014.05.013 Chełmińska M, Specjalski K, Różyło A, Kołakowska A, Jassem E. Differentiating of cross-reactions in patients with latex allergy with the use of ISAC test. Postepy Dermatol Alergol. 2016;33(2):120–127. doi:10.5114/ada.2016.59154 Additional Reading Nguyen K, Kohli A. Latex allergy. [Updated 2019 Jul 29]. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan. Pollart SM, Warniment C, Mori T. Latex allergy. American Family Physician. 2009 Dec 15;80(12):1413-1418.