title: The Hymenoptera venom study. II: Skin test results and safety of venom skin testing.
abstract: Data are summarized in this Hymenoptera venom study (HVS) article on the safety of skin testing with venom extracts. Of the 3236 subjects studied, 89% had experienced an historical sting systemic reaction (SSR). Seventy-four percent of all subjects and 76% of subjects who had experienced an historical SSR had a positive skin test to at least one venom. More subjects tested positive to yellow jacket venom (51.8%) than to any other venom. There were no significant differences of the wheal and erythema sizes associated with different venoms or different historical sting reactions. Forty-five percent of subjects with positive venom skin tests (VST) were positive to wasp, and 89% of these subjects were also positive to at least one of the following venoms: yellow jacket, yellow hornet, or white-faced hornet. Sixty-four of the 3236 subjects studied (2%) had a systemic reaction (SR) during VST; 13 of the SRs (0.4%) were severe. Thirteen of 64 adverse reactions (20%) were possibly vasovagal, and six other subjects (9%) demonstrated no symptoms of immediate-type hypersensitivity. Thus, 45 (1.4%) of the 3236 subjects tested had an SR that was considered to be a reaction of hypersensitivity, of which eight reactions (0.25%) were severe. Allergic SRs are associated with VST but are unusual and are rarely severe.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa 33612.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Lockey
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Turkeltaub
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Olive
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Baird-Warren
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Olive
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bukantz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006927:Hymenoptera / Q000276:immunology*; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D007167:Immunotherapy; D012882:Skin Tests / Q000009:adverse effects; D014688:Venoms / Q000276:immunology*; D014862:Wasp Venoms / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms; D014688:Venoms; D014862:Wasp Venoms