Demonstration of antibodies to mosquito antigens in man by immunodiffusion and ELISA.

Cutaneous reactions to mosquito bites are believed to be immunologically mediated, but knowledge of the underlying mechanisms is very limited. In the present work, comprising 598 subjects, we show that precipitating and ELISA-reactive IgG-class antibodies occur frequently in the adult population. The operating antigen(s) were found in whole-body extracts of Aedes mosquitoes and also in a continuous mosquito cell line culture. The appearance of antimosquito antibodies seems to be correlated with the exposure to mosquito bites; however, massive exposure at an early age may result in a suppressed response.