Diagnosis and Therapy of Allergy to Hymenoptera Venom

Statistic data and reports in specialized literature point to very frequent reactions to Hymenoptera venom; moreover the present stage of knowledge gained in the field of immunology allows us to establish the cases with local toxic reactions and those which involve a mechanism of allergical reaction. The Hymenoptera provided with a vulnerable sting apparatus consist of three families of social species: Apidae, Vespidae and Formicidae, the latter should not be taken into consideration due to its low allergogical interest. The Apidae family is composed of the following genera: Apis, Bombus, Xylocopa etc. The Vespidae family is made up of the Vespines and the Polystines. The Vespinae sub-family consists of the following genera: Vespula, Vespa, Dolichovespula etc. The vulgaris, germanica, rufa species belong to the Vespula genus; crabro, orientalis species belong to the Vespa genus; media and silvestris species belong to the Dolichovespula genus. The Polystinae sub-family is composed of many more species, such as Polystes gallicus and P. nimpha. These most frequently cause allergical reactions (ERRIGO et al., 1982; LEVINE and LOCKEY, 1981; MOLKHOU, 1983). As it is known that various hymenoptera provided with sting give venom having a specific and characteristic chemical composition known at present due to the possibilities of obtaining purified venom (i.e. through electric stimulation of the bees), it is very important to indicate the position occupied, within the classification (see table 1). Yet those that react to insect sting should supply data about the species in order to establish the diagnosis and appropriate therapy.