INSECT STING ANAPHYLAXIS: DETERMINANT OF CLINICAL REACTIVITY

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The purpose of this study is to identify individuals who have had an allergic reaction to an insect sting(s) and in whom a future sting could cause an allergic reaction again, but the chance of this occurring is estimated to be between 25% and 70%. At the present time, there is no way of determining which patients will have a reaction to subsequent bee stings. No currently available test can tell which patients will have a reaction or how severe the reaction could be, or who should be treated. The purpose of this study is to test whether people who have had an insect sting reaction(s) are at risk for another allergic sting reaction. To accomplish this goal, patients will be stung by a honeybee or yellow jacket so that a method can be developed for predicting which patients need to have preventive treatment.