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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Subject:
From:
Eric Simms <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Mon, 2 Jun 2008 08:49:27 -0700
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Dee Lusby asked: "If venom therapy is used to build immunity to bee stings starting with one sting full dose or as quick as possible and out, and then working up, taking more and more,... then for beekeepers wearing veils and bees on veils doing same, or as in instance you refer to above.........how does this create problems for developing sensitivity then which is opposite effect?"

The difference between building a sensitivity and developing an immunity to reaction is the frequency of exposure to bee venom.  The less frequent exposure runs a high risk of turning into a sensitivity (which is actually an unecessary immunilogical response to foreign protein) similar to what you would deliberately do when creating vaccines.  Vaccines work because the immune system is stimulated and has a memory for breif exposures to foreign matter.  Continuous exposure to foreign proteins such as those encounted with our symbiotic bacterial infestations that we want living on/in our bodies, tend to not evoke the histamine generating immunological response.  It is all way more complicated than that, but I want to simplify the apparent mechanism for the sake of conveying an understanding, though our scientific types might bash my oversimplification/innaccuracies.

Eric Simms, Howe, Texas


      

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