PubMed · 481311
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Millar. 1979-07-13. [Immunization against insect-bite allergy].. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/481311/
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Protein antigens with both allergenic and immunoprotective properties represent appropriate molecules to study IgE and IgG regulation. We have established a panel of T cell clones specific to bee venom phospholipase A2 (PLA) from human individuals allergic, hyposensitized or immune (protected) to bee sting. All clones obtained were CD3+, CD4+ and expressed alpha, beta T cell receptor. Depending on the T cell clone, maximal stimulation required 1 to 100 micrograms/ml of PLA, and the addition of interleukin (IL)-2 and/or IL-4 increased their antigen-dependent proliferation. Following antigen stimulation, the clones produced IL-4, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Most clones also produced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and tumor necrosis factor beta (TNF-beta), and some produced IL-5 and/or IL-2. Both absolute and relative amounts of secreted cytokines depended on the antigen concentration. At low antigen doses, IL-4 was produced but little or not IFN-gamma, whereas at higher PLA concentrations significant amounts of both IL-4 and IFN-gamma were obtained. Thus, these PLA-specific T cell clones could be classified according to the changes in the ratio of IL-4/IFN-gamma production in response to increasing antigen concentrations. Clones derived from allergic and hyposensitized individuals required higher critical amounts of antigen for IFN-gamma induction, and expressed increasing IL-4/IFN-gamma ratios with increasing concentrations of PLA. Modulation of cytokine patterns by the dose of the antigen may be a driving force for IgE or IgG formation resulting in allergy or immunoprotection.
We investigated the effect of the histamine control (1 mg/ml) on the results of skin prick and intradermal testing with bee and wasp venom. Skin tests were done on the patients' forearms: on the right arm the histamine control and the bee venom dilutions, on the left arm the wasp venom dilutions only, at distances of 4-5 cm. In intradermal testing 11 (9%) of 122 patients showed a positive wheal and flare reaction to the bee venom solution positioned next to the histamine control. The subsequent solutions in higher concentrations did not produce any skin reactions. The results of intradermal testing with bee venom did not occur in intradermal testing with wasp venom or in skin prick testing with both allergens. Our results show clearly that in skin prick tests a distance of 4-5 cm is sufficient to avoid false positive skin reactions. However, using the same distance in intradermal testing showed that histamine affects the skin reactions produced by adjacent allergen solutions. Therefore false positive results may occur.