Interesting work done on bee sting allergy in Spain

Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 1997, Volume 27, pages 418-423
The natural history of Apis-specific IgG and IgG4 in beekeepers
J. C. GARCIA-ROBAINA, et al
Department of Allergy, Canary Islands, Spain

> We studied 246 beekeepers. All Bks were regularly stung by bees. The longest time between the last sting and the moment of the study was 5 months. None of them had previously sought medical attention for sting reaction, neither had they received immunotherapy with Hymenoptera venom.

> From the whole population of Bks, 114 subjects reported they had had only local reactions, whereas the remaining 128 had had more intense reactions, including large local reactions and anaphylaxis. However, the majority of them (83.5%) had had reactions of less intensity when they were stung thereafter.

> In our study most subjects who reported important reactions to stings at some point, also reported less intense reactions to subsequent stings. It remains surprising that subjects who have only presented local reactions should have significantly higher levels of both immunoglobulins than other subjects who reported more severe reactions.



Peter Loring Borst
Ithaca  NY USA
42.347°N 76.503°W
peterloringborst.com

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html

Guidelines for posting to BEE-L can be found at:
http://honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/guidelines.htm