Can a basophil activation test of cord blood predict a cow's milk allergy?

BACKGROUND: Food allergies affect 4%-6% of the pediatric population and are often present within the first 2 years of life. Cord blood cells and cytokines in high-risk infants can predict allergic problems; however, their predictive value remains unclear. PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine whether a cow's milk allergy in infants can be predicted using a basophil activation test (BAT) of cord blood samples by stimulating basophils with milk protein antigens (cow's milk and casein). METHODS: We collected cord blood during the birth of 30 mother-child pairs and immediately analyzed BAT stimulated with milk protein antigens. One year later, we compared the results of those infants who developed an allergy to those who did not. RESULTS: We found that infants with a casein-BAT value ≥2.6 were 33.2 times more likely than those with a casein- BAT value