Precipitins to different avian serum antigens in bird fancier's lung and coeliac disease

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Abstract
Precipitins to avian serum antigens were found in the sera of bird fanciers and, until now, they were considered strong supporting evidence for a clinical diagnosis of bird fancier''s lung (BFL). Thirty-five percent of the patients with celiac disease, none of whom had recently kept a bird, had precipitins against an avian serum antigen common to all the avian species tested, but which was distinct from the antigens usually associated with BFL. This antigen was a component of hen egg yolk but not of bird droppings. In patients with BFL the antibody response results from inhaled antigens in the bird droppings; the antibody response in patients with celiac disease probably results from eating uncooked or soft-boiled eggs.