Allergen, Hymenoptera Venoms With Components

Results should be interpreted in the context of the patient’s clinical history. Specific IgE (sIgE) to the honeybee venom (HBV) components Api m 1, Api m 3, and Api m 10 may indicate primary sensitization to HBV. The Api m 5 HBV component can be cross-reactive to vespid (e.g., yellow jacket) and paper wasp venom components. Api m 2 is reported to have limited cross-reactivity to vespid/paper wasp venom components.
Ves v 1 and Ves v 5 are yellow jacket venom (YJV) components that serve as markers for vespid venom sensitization. Pol d 5, a component of European paper wasp venom, is a marker of sensitization to paper wasp venoms (PWV). Specific IgE to these components can help distinguish between YJV/PWV and HBV sensitization. The YJV and paper wasp venom components included in this panel can be cross-reactive, preventing their use as markers to discriminate between YJV and PWV sensitization if both are positive.
Severe allergic reactions to insect venoms may be associated with elevated serum baseline tryptase due underlying mast cell activation or clonal disorders. Measurement of basal serum tryptase should be considered in all patients who are candidates for venom immunotherapy.
Allergen results of 0.10-0.34 kU/L are intended for specialist use as the clinical relevance is undetermined. Even though increasing ranges are reflective of increasing concentrations of allergen-specific IgE, these concentrations may not correlate with the degree of clinical response or skin testing results when challenged with a specific allergen. The correlation of allergy laboratory results with clinical history and in vivo reactivity to specific allergens is essential. A negative test may not rule out clinical allergy or even anaphylaxis.