Venom toxicity countered by allergic antibodies

The production of immunoglobulins E (IgE), i.e. the antibodies responsible for allergic reactions, is generally considered as noxious and as the result of a dysfunction in the immune system. A study led by Thomas Marichal, a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Professor Steve Galli at Stanford University, showed that these antibodies can have a protective effect against the toxicity of honeybee and snake venoms. It could therefore be possible that allergic immunity to different venoms and toxins has been maintained over the course of evolution as a major defence mechanism of the host. It might therefore be conceivable that, for a proportion of the population, an initial exposure to the venom and associated IgE may have a beneficial effect against the same venom upon subsequent exposure. Now, scientists would like to identify which factors determine whether the IgE antibodies are more likely to induce a noxious or a protective response.