STUDIES ON HYMENOPTERA .4. CORRELATION OF PASSIVE TRANSFER IN HYMENOPTERA ALLERGY WITH CULPRIT INSECT AND DIRECT SKIN TESTS

Direct skin tests and passive transfer tests with the sera of 16 patients who had suffered a generalized reaction to the sting of a hymenopterous insect were found to be positive. In contrast, these tests in skin and sera of 12 patients who had suffered only a local reaction tended to be negative. Passively transferable antibodies correlated more nearly with the species of the culprit insect than did direct skin tests, and these antibodies seemed on occasion to result from former stings rather than from the most recent sting. No significant difference was found in family history and past history of allergy between the 2 groups. © 1969.