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interest in providing protection from an accidental reaction” than in having the child gain a new food group

55 children ages 5 to 11 with egg allergies, confirmed by skin-prick tests, medical history and the presence of antibodies to egg protein

All of them got an unmarked powder added to their food daily

Forty kids were randomly assigned to receive the egg treatment and 15 got cornstarch as a control

treatment amounted to a few grains of powdered egg white on the first day and gradually grew to the equivalent of one-third of an egg

After 22 months, 30 of the 40 children getting the treatment were able to consume 10 grams of powdered egg white without having a visible reaction

Five of the 40 did have a reaction to the egg test, as did all children in the placebo group

Another five children who had allergic reactions to the initial treatment dropped out of the study early on

Four to six weeks after stopping treatment, the children who didn’t react to the egg test got tested again

with 10 grams of egg white powder plus a cooked egg

Eleven passed that test. A year later, 10 of them were eating eggs at will

remaining challenges will be to identify beforehand which children are the most likely to benefit from the treatment

predictions may emerge from tests of their immune cells and proteins

blood tests of kids whose treatment succeeded showed an accumulation of positive immune changes during treatment

reaction. Whether those changes are permanent is unknown

about 10 percent of children given this type of oral treatment for egg, peanut or milk allergies — including roughly that fraction in this study — have reactions early and drop out, Burks says. “For a small group of kids, this isn’t the right therapy

Don’t try this at home. The Food and Drug Administration would need to approve an oral treatment for clinical use.