title: The correlation between anti phospholipase A2 specific IgE and clinical symptoms after a bee sting in beekeepers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Beekeepers are a group of people with high exposure to honeybee stings and with a very high risk of allergy to bee venom. Therefore, they are a proper population to study the correlations between clinical symptoms and results of diagnostic tests.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The primary aim of our study was to assess the correlations between total IgE, venom- and phospholipase A2-specific IgE and clinical symptoms after a bee sting in beekeepers. The secondary aim was to compare the results of diagnostic tests in beekeepers and in individuals with standard exposure to bees.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four individuals were divided into two groups: beekeepers and control group. The levels of total IgE (tIgE), venom-specific IgE (venom sIgE), and phospholipase A2-specific IgE (phospholipase A2 sIgE) were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our study showed no statistically significant correlation between the clinical symptoms after a sting and tIgE in the entire analyzed group. There was also no correlation between venom sIgE level and clinical symptoms either in beekeepers or in the group with standard exposure to bees. We observed a statistically significant correlation between phospholipase A2 sIgE level and clinical signs after a sting in the group of beekeepers, whereas no such correlation was detected in the control group. Significantly higher venom-specific IgE levels in the beekeepers, as compared to control individuals were shown.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In beekeepers, the severity of clinical symptoms after a bee sting correlated better with phospholipase A2 sIgE than with venom sIgE levels.
authors: Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Matysiak
authors: Ward of Pediatric Diseases, L. Perzyna Regional Unified Hospital, Kalisz, Poland.
authors: Joanna
authors: J
authors: Matysiak
authors: Department of Pneumonology, Pediatric Allergology and Clinical Immunology, K. Jonscher Clinical Hospital, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Bręborowicz
authors: Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
authors: Paweł
authors: P
authors: Dereziński
authors: Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland.
authors: Zenon J
authors: ZJ
authors: Kokot
keywords: diagnostic tests; honeybee venom; phospholipase A2; sting