Diagnostic dilemma: A woman got a lung transplant — and ended up with a peanut allergy, too
Live Science · 2026-09-02
A woman who received a lung transplant developed a new peanut allergy, experiencing anaphylaxis after eating cereal in the hospital and similar symptoms later with a coconut cream pie and an almond candy bar. A skin-prick allergy test two months post-transplant revealed sensitivity to peanut and pine nut allergens. Doctors theorized that the transplanted lung tissue contained immune cells from the 12-year-old donor, who had a known peanut allergy. While no specific treatment was given, her sensitivity gradually subsided, disappearing completely within a year, and she later consumed peanuts without reaction. This case, reported in 2011, was only the second documented instance of a peanut allergy following a lung transplant, highlighting the rare phenomenon of donor-acquired allergies, which were first recognized a little over a decade prior to the report and are more commonly associated with lung and liver transplants.