title: Identification of allergens in the box jellyfish Chironex yamaguchii that cause sting dermatitis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Jellyfish stings cause painful, papular-urticarial eruptions due to the immediate allergic, acute toxic and persistent inflammatory responses. In spite of many marine accidents and their economic impact, modes of first-aid treatment remain conventional and specific allergen and medical treatment are not yet available. The purpose of this study was to define the specific allergen of the box jellyfish Chironex yamaguchii and to study the precise mechanism of the resulting dermatitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We comprehensively studied the immunoglobulin-binding molecules from the box jellyfish C. yamaguchii with a purification procedure and Western blotting, using sera from 1 patient and from several controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the nematocyst wall and spine, we detected IgG-binding acidic glycoprotein (of 66 and 30 kDa) as determined by Western blot and ion-exchange chromatography. In addition, the 66-kDa protein was found to be an asparagine residue-coupled N-linked glycoprotein and the epitope resided in the protein fraction. We found that CqTX-A, the major toxic protein of the nematocyst, is also a heat-stable IgE-binding allergen. This was confirmed as a 45-kDa protein by Western blot from both nematocyst extracts and purified CqTX-A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The detection of these proteins may, in part, explain the combined immediate allergic-toxic and persistent allergic responses. Hopefully, our findings will lead to the development of specific venom immunotherapy for marine professional workers and tourists for jellyfish-sting dermatitis and anaphylaxis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ocean Sciences, Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Horiike
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: Seiichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000485:Allergens / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D001733:Bites and Stings / Q000209:etiology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003064:Cnidarian Venoms / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000633:toxicity; D037462:Cubozoa / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D003872:Dermatitis / Q000209:etiology*; D006031:Glycosylation; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000378:metabolism; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D058894:Nematocyst / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens; C465975:Chiropsalmus quadrigatus toxin-A; D003064:Cnidarian Venoms; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007073:Immunoglobulin E