IgG and IgE antibody patterns after immunotherapy with monomethoxy polyethyleneglycol modified honey bee venom.

Antibody responses to honey bee venom (HBV) were studied in 13 patients during a 4-month course of immunotherapy with monomethoxy polyethyleneglycol (mPEG) modified venom. There was a rise of HBV-specific IgG antibodies as measured by IgG-RAST in all patients and a slight decrease of IgE antibody in most of them. The IgG-antibody responses during mPEG-HBV treatment as examined by crossed radioimmunoelectrophoresis were directed to phospholipase A, hyaluronidase, acid phosphatase and to another allergen, antigen 1. Thus, despite a high degree of mPEG-modification of HBV, the immunogenicity of the most important HBV allergens was retained.