title: Decline of Ves v 5-specific blocking capacity in wasp venom-allergic patients after stopping allergen immunotherapy.
abstract: While allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is very efficient in hymenoptera venom (HV)-allergic patients, long-term outcome after finishing AIT is not well investigated, especially regarding mechanisms that are suggested to contribute to allergen-specific tolerance. Here, we analyse the Ves v 5-inhibitory activity of sera from wasp venom-allergic patients using the novel cell-free enzyme-linked immunosorbent facilitated antigen binding (ELIFAB) assay. Compared to pre-AIT, sera from patients undergoing AIT displayed an increased ability to inhibit Ves v 5 binding by IgE antibodies. In contrast, this inhibitory activity was reduced in patients having finished AIT 5-12 years ago. Allergen-blocking capacity correlated with serum concentrations of Ves v 5-specific IgG4 which rose during AIT but almost reached pretreatment levels in patients who had stopped AIT more than 5 years ago. These data raise questions about how long allergen tolerance is maintained in AIT-treated HV-allergic patients and suggest that the ELIFAB assay might be an easy-to-use tool assessing long-term tolerance in patients treated with HV-AIT.
authors.affiliation: Clinical & Experimental Allergology, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Möbs
authors.affiliation: Clinical & Experimental Allergology, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.affiliation: Clinical & Experimental Allergology, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rudzio
authors.affiliation: Clinical & Experimental Allergology, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pickert
authors.affiliation: Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Helmholtz Center Munich, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blank
authors.affiliation: Allergy Research Group, Department of Dermatology, Medical Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jakob
authors.affiliation: Immunological Engineering, Department of Engineering, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spillner
authors.affiliation: Clinical & Experimental Allergology, Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Pfützner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019138:Antibodies, Blocking / Q000276:immunology*; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic / Q000379:methods; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014862:Wasp Venoms / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; D019138:Antibodies, Blocking; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D019476:Insect Proteins; C431905:Ves v 5 allergen; D014862:Wasp Venoms; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D006821:Hyaluronoglucosaminidase; C101835:allergen Ves v 1
keywords: IgG; allergen-specific immunotherapy; blocking antibodies; enzyme-linked immunosorbent facilitated antigen binding; insect venom