Scientists call for standardization of allergy tests after trials show them to be unreliable

Dr. Thimo Ruethers from James Cook University’s Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM) and JCU’s Tropical Futures Institute (TFI) in Singapore says that shellfish allergy affects up to 3% of the general population, is usually lifelong and commonly triggers anaphylaxis—a condition that leads to respiratory collapse and can be fatal. In Australia, shellfish allergy is the number one trigger of food-related fatal anaphylaxis.