Stinging insect allergy: detection and clinical significance of venom IgE antibodies.

Venom-specific IgE antibodies in 109 sera from patients who had had immediate systemic allergic reactions following insect stings were measured by the radioallergosorbent (RAST) procedure. The majority of sera contained IgE antibodies to either bee, yellow jacket, or hornet venoms. Some sera had positive RAST reactions with 2 or 3 venoms, but others contained single venom-specific IgE antibodies. Of 24 patients who had large local reactions, the sera of 12 contained venom IgE antibodies. The RAST procedure provides an accurate means of documenting IgE-mediated allergic sensitivity to stinging insects.