Washington -- Cicadas -- which emerge from the ground every 17 years -- are in full bloom this month and some people have taken to eating the critters.

But they may be biting off more than they can chew.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America some people may have food allergies to the cicadas that are similar to shellfish.

Spokesman Mike Tringale says cicadas contain chitin, which is made from a protein called tropomyosin, which may be responsible for some allergic reactions.

Tringale cites one man in Indiana who cooked up about 30 of the insects with garlic and basil, ate them, and then went into anaphylactic shock.

There are simple blood tests that can be done for other types of allergies says Tringale, but none yet for cicadas.

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