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PubMed2004

Larval Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) mortality after topical application of antibiotics and dusts.

Beekeepers apply various dusts to honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies to dislodge parasitic mites and control bacterial brood diseases. Anecdotal reports by beekeepers indicate that the antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) can be toxic when applied in powdered sugar to cells containing immature bee brood, but it was not known whether the purported toxicity is caused by the antibiotic or the sugar carrier. Additionally, the toxicity of various dusts, proposed for parasitic mite control, is poorly known. In the current studies, we tested OTC and two other antibiotics (tylosin and lincomycin, candidate compounds for use in honey bee colonies) in a powdered sugar carrier for larval toxicity. We also tested for larval toxicity, several dusts that have been proposed for mite control. OTC caused significant brood mortality of approximately 80% at the concentrations used in the hive (200 mg in 20 g sugar). In contrast, tylosin and lincomycin at the 200 mg dose were both similar to untreated controls, and only five times that concentration (1000 mg) caused significant brood mortality of approximately 65%. The addition of dusts, wheat flour, talc, and a commercially available protein supplement, BeePro, resulted in mortality levels between 65 and 80%, similar to that seen with OTC. The common antibiotic carrier, powered confectioners sugar, was nontoxic. The use of 100 unsealed brood cells was demonstrated to be a reliable means of assessing potential adverse affects of dry compounds on larval honey bees. Two new candidate antibiotics for use in honey bee colonies were less toxic to larval bees than the currently labeled antibiotic, OTC.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Clinical reactivity to insect stings.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Allergy to insect stings remains a hazard worldwide and is the object of updated guidelines on management. This paper reviews the various clinical responses that may occur following an insect sting. RECENT FINDINGS: Although the general population is at slight risk, certain groups are more susceptible, including occasionally stung adult male agricultural workers, hobby honey beekeepers and family members of beekeepers. Individuals with systemic mastocytosis are especially reactive to stings. The body of evidence attesting to the marked beneficial effect that 3-5 years of venom immunotherapy has on the natural history of hymenoptera hypersensitivity is especially evident in children. Case reports indicate other consequences of hymenoptera sting, and these are discussed. SUMMARY: Hypersensitivity to insect stings is common and may be life threatening. Although most occur away from medical facilities, their diagnosis and management are important to a wide spectrum of health care professionals. Most reactions to stings are nonallergic manifestations of the venom's toxic effects, and present as erythema, pain and swelling about the sting site. Fire ants bite with their mandibles and pivot their head, inflicting multiple stings that usually result in a sterile pseudopustule at the site. Hypersensitivity responses to venom range from large local reactions (a late-phase response) to life-threatening anaphylaxis. Venom-specific immunotherapy is highly effective in the modification of subsequent reactions to hymenoptera stings, as is whole body extract for fire ant stings.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Anti-IgE autoantibodies and bee-sting allergy.

Serum anti-IgE autoantibodies (aaIgE) were investigated by dot immunobinding assay in bee-allergic patients in comparison with nonallergic beekeepers, healthy blood donors, and atopic subjects. Elevated serum levels of aaIgE--either free or combined with IgE--were found in both bee-allergic patients and atopic subjects as compared with beekeepers and healthy donors. With regard to a possible significance of aaIgE for the protective mechanism induced by specific allergen immunotherapy, we estimated aaIgE in bee-allergic patients before, during, and after bee-venom immunotherapy (BVIT) in relation to the outcome of a provocation test with a living bee (PT). During the first year of BVIT, there was no significant change in either free or combined aaIgE, but aaIgE decreased during protracted BVIT over 3-7 years. By using two monoclonal anti-IgE antibodies with different epitope specificity (Le27 and BSW17), we were able to detect two kinds of IgE/aaIgE immune complexes. Our data show that during and after BVIT the levels of one kind of IgE-aaIgE immune complex (the non-BSW17 type) tended to decrease in PT-negative patients but stayed elevated in PT-positive patients. The levels of the other kind of immune complex (the non-Le27 type) were similar in treatment failures and successfully treated patients. These data suggest that there are various kinds of aaIgE with different in vivo functions related to their epitope specificity. Some of them (non-BSW17 type) might be associated with BVIT failure.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

IgG and IgE antibodies after immunotherapy with bee and wasp venom.

IgG and IgE antibody levels have been followed for a period of 2 years in patients receiving immunotherapy with bee and wasp venom. 106 adult patients who had had anaphylactic reactions to wasp stings had initially low IgG antibody levels to wasp venom which rose with therapy (p less than 0.001). IgE antibody levels also showed an initial rise but subsequently fell (p less than 0.001). The pattern was similar to that previously reported in children who had had anaphylactic reactions to bee stings, but who, after a course of immunotherapy, were able to tolerate stings with impunity. 60 adults who had had anaphylactic reactions to bee stings showed a different pattern, with initially high IgG antibody levels which did not rise further. Since two thirds of this group were beekeepers or members of beekeeper's families, the high initial IgG antibody levels could have been a response to the frequent stings to which such individuals are prone. The fact that high levels did not protect against anaphylaxis shows, however, that the classical concept of 'blocking antibody' is in need of revision.

Bee Venoms↗
PubMed2001

Resistance to Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) when mite-resistant queen honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) were free-mated with unselected drones.

This study demonstrated (1) that honey bees, Apis mellifera L, can express a high level of resistance to Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman when bees were selected for only one resistant trait (suppression of mite reproduction); and (2) that a significant level of mite-resistance was retained when these queens were free-mated with unselected drones. The test compared the growth of mite populations in colonies of bees that each received one of the following queens: (1) resistant--queens selected for suppression of mite reproduction and artificially inseminated in Baton Rouge with drones from similarly selected stocks; (2) resistant x control--resistant queens, as above, produced and free-mated to unselected drones by one of four commercial queen producers; and (3) control--commercial queens chosen by the same four queen producers and free-mated as above. All colonies started the test with approximately 0.9 kg of bees that were naturally infested with approximately 650 mites. Colonies with resistant x control queens ended the 115-d test period with significantly fewer mites than did colonies with control queens. This suggests that beekeepers can derive immediate benefit from mite-resistant queens that have been free-mated to unselected drones. Moreover, the production and distribution of these free-mated queens from many commercial sources may be an effective way to insert beneficial genes into our commercial population of honey bees without losing the genetic diversity and the useful beekeeping characteristics of this population.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Neutralization of bee venom lethality by immune serum antibodies.

The lethal effects of Africanized honey bee venom depend on the absorption of venom delivered during simultaneous sting attacks by large numbers of bees. The hypothesis that antibodies to whole bee venom and bee venom components could neutralize the lethal effect of bee venom was tested. Antibodies from beekeepers and immunized rabbits were incubated with bee venom and neutralization was studied by survival of intravenously injected mice. Beekeeper serum antibodies were found effective in protecting mice challenged with whole venom, and serum from rabbits immunized with phospholipase A2 (PLA2) was effective in protection against lethal effects of PLA2. Serum antibodies from rabbits immunized with whole venom or melittin were ineffective in neutralizing whole venom in vivo and had low titers in a venom enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results suggest the need for development of more effective methods for raising antitoxic antibodies to bee venom components in other animals as a means of developing an antiserum that would be effective for treatment of human victims of multiple bee stings.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Hymenoptera sting arthropathy as an occupational injury: a case report].

Hymenoptera (Apid and Vespid) sting reactions represent a specific occupational risk factor for beekeepers, farmers, floriculturists, forestry workers, gardeners, greenhouse workers, fruit dealers, fire-fighters, street sweepers, outdoor workers. As a consequence of the Hymenoptera stings it can appear: acute toxic or allergic reactions and sub-acute symptoms that involve various body systems including the joints in which a Hymenoptera Sting Arthropathy (HSA) may occur. We describe the case of a 54-year-old male farmer beekeeper who developed in 1998 a systemic reaction due to multiple bee stings while he was collecting honey. He was hospitalised at the Policlinico Gemelli in Rome because skin (prick and intradermal test) and in vitro tests had shown evidence of an allergic reaction and had required a venom immunotherapy. During the years the patient had been victim of various episodes of acute arthritis on his interphalangeal joints) and, in one occasion, on his right elbow. The symptoms were localized intense pain and a severe impairment of joint function with inability to perform the work. After 7-14 days of corticosteroid treatment the arthritis subsided. In literature there are similar cases described that, at times, assume a greater severeness and lead to significant functional outcomes. The HSA's aetiology includes pharmacologically active substances (melittin, phosfolipase A2, leukotrienes present in venom), infection, or foreign body synovitis. The relative gravity of the symptoms and the possibility of outcomes all indicate that further attempts must be made in order to prevent HSA.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1983

Hyperreactivity to bee stings: reevaluation.

(a) A survey of beekeepers in Israel did not show that they differed allergy-wise from the general population. (b) Twenty-eight non-beekeeper systemic reactors to bee stings were not necessarily more allergic or more exposed to stings than the others. These systemic reactors had a spontaneous kinin system hyperreactivity and in some of them changes in the immune system and a complement defect were detected. We think that predisposition may enhance the likelihood of a systemic reaction to bee stings. Thus the common denominator for the hyperreactivity to bee stings is not their exposure to stings nor their allergic background but rather the spontaneous kinin activity and a possible defect in their immunological system.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comparison of the antibody response to bee venom phospholipase A2 induced by natural exposure in humans or by immunization in mice.

Two human and twelve murine monoclonal antibodies directed against the main bee venom allergen phospholipase A2 (PLA) were evaluated for their fine specificity of binding to antigen and their ability to inhibit the enzymatic activity of the antigen. Antibodies were induced by natural exposure of beekeepers to bee venom or immunization of mice via different methods. Both human monoclonal antibodies (hmAbs) were previously shown to recognize the native three-dimensional conformation of PLA and are directed against discontinuous epitopes which include lysine residue at position 25 as a contact residue. In contrast, six of the murine monoclonal antibodies (mmAbs) bind to the denatured structure of the protein as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The epitopes recognized are located near the C-terminal end (n = 8), in the centre of the polypeptide (n = 1), near the N-terminal end (n = 1) or include the carbohydrate part (n = 2) of the PLA molecule. The capacity of the antibodies to modify the enzymatic activity was also determined. The hmAbs significantly inhibit the enzyme (70-79%), whereas the mmAbs produced various degrees of inhibition (39-100%). Since the X-ray structure of PLA is known, the epitopes can be visualized in the context of the three-dimensional structure of the antigen. A qualitative correlation was found between the location of epitopes and the inhibition pattern. Strong inhibition was seen with those antibodies that recognize epitopes that lie on the surface of the enzyme that is thought to contact the phospholipid bilayer. The results show that even though both hmAbs and most mmAbs inhibit the enzymatic activity of PLA, the antigen-binding properties of antibodies from different species raised after different routes of immunization differ significantly. Thus, detailed epitope mapping studies using murine antibodies prepared by artificial immunization may have limited value in predicting epitope patterns relevant to an antibody response to allergens in humans naturally exposed to antigen/allergen.

Allergens↗
PubMed1997

A general model of pheromone transmission within honey bee hives

Many activities in a honey bee hive are thought to be regulated by non-volatile pheromones produced by the queen. These pheromones are transmitted among the workers both by direct contact and by deposition on the retrieval from the wax substrate of the hive. This paper presents a general model for the movement of these pheromones through a honey bee colony.The specific pheromone used for the model is produced by honey bee queens, and is thought to play a determining role in colony swarming. Thus, the results presented here are of interest to both beekeepers, for whom swarming represents the loss of a valuable resource, and bee researchers, who are interested in swarming as an example of social coordination.The model consists of a system of stochastic differential equations describing the evolution of the pheromone level and position of each bee in the hive. The equations are studied using a numerical simulation. The results of the simulations show that hive crowding can have a significant effect on pheromone transmission, and that this effect is not simply a dilution of similar quantities of pheromone among more workers. Thus, restricting worker movement induced by crowding may have a strong effect on pheromone transmission and, therefore, advance queen rearing and swarming. Copyright 1997 Academic Press Limited Copyright 1997 Academic Press Limited

Journal Article↗
PubMed1980

An immunoenzyme assay for quantitation of human IgG antibodies to honeybee venom phospholipase A2.

A new method to measure the concentrations of IgG antibodies to phospholipase A2 in sera from patients treated with honeybee venom immunotherapy is described. This method utilizes a microcentrifugal analyzer to detect inhibition of PLA2 enzymatic activity by antibodies in serum standards and unknowns. Sera from beekeepers with known concentrations of specific antibodies, measured by radioimmunoprecipitation, were used to construct a logit-log standard curve for the immunoenzyme assay. The standard curve was linear for concentrations between 2.3 and 20.0 microgram/ml. The concentrations of specific antibodies measured by enzyme inhibition correlated well with the concentrations as measured by radioimmunoprecipitation, r = 0.959 (least squares linear regression), n = 32. Interassay variation was 10.1% at 10 microgram/ml. The immunoenzyme method is rapid and does not require radiolabeled reagents.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1976

Allergy to insect stings. II. Phospholipase A: the major allergen in honeybee venom.

In order to determine the proteins of major allergenic importance in honeybee venom (Apis mellifera) it was chromatographed on G-50 Sephadex. The four major protein peaks eluted were identified as hyaluronidase, phospholipase, melittin, and apamin. Testing these preparations on the leukocytes of 6 honeybee-sensitive patients, with the in vitro method of histamine release, revealed that all individuals were most sensitive to phospholipase A. IgE antibodies against phospholipase A (RAST) were found in the sera of honeybee-sensitive patients and IgG antibodies to this venom component were found in the sera from beekeepers and venom-treated patients. Melittin appeared to be allergenic in several patients, but the results were variable and were possibly due to contamination with phospholipase. All patients were insensitive to the hyaluronidase and apamin preparations. We conclude that phospholipase A is the major allergen of honeybee venom and, since this protein is readily available, it should be useful for diagnostic and therapeutic studies as well as for the standardization of materials used in the management of honeybee-sensitive patients.

Allergens↗
PubMed1977

Melittin: an allergen of honeybee venom.

The presence of serum IgE antibodies to melittin was tested by the radioallergosorbent test (RAST). Melittin, the principal protein of honeybee venom, was isolated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75 and covalently bound to cyanogen bromide-activated microcrystalline cellulose. The melittin preparation was homogenous by immunoelectrophoresis with the use of rabbit antiserum to whole honeybee venom and by polyacrylamide electrophoresis in gels containing 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. Elevated serum IgE antibodies to melittin (three times greater than binding by normal sera) were found in 7 of 24 honeybee venom-sensitive persons and in 5 of 20 nonsensitive beekeepers. In one venom-sensitive patient a particularly high titer of IgE antibody was found. The reaction between solid-phase melittin and IgE antibody could be inhibited by fluid-phase melittin but not by phospholipase A (PLA). Similarly, the reaction of IgE antibody with solid-phase PLA was inhibited by PLA but not by melittin. In passive transfer skin tests with the sensitive patient's serum, positive wheal-and-flare reactions were obtained in 3 nonallergic recipients following melittin challenge; appropriate controls were negative. These results indicate that melittin is an allergen in some honeybee venom-sensitive patients and in an occasional patient melittin may be a major allergen.

Allergens↗
PubMed1977

Clinical application of measurements of serum level of bee venom-specific IgE and IgG.

Bee venom--specific IgE and IgG antibodies were measured in the serum of beekeeepers, bee-allergic persons, and normal persons infrequently stung without adverse effects. Beekeepers, who are stung frequently and relatively "immune" to bee stings, are characterized by high serum levels of IgG- and low serum levels of IgE-specific antibodies. Bee-allergic individuals have high titers of bee venom--specific IgG. Following a bee sting, allergic individuals develop a rising titer of IgE antibodies, accompanied occasionally by a rise in IgG antibodies. Therapy with whole bee body extracts fail to effect IgE or IgG antibody titers. During the course of venom immunotherapy IgG-specific antibodies are stimulated and IgE-specific antibodies continue to decline. These observations suggest that: (1) bee sting allergy is a function of bee venom--specific IgE; (2) bee sting immunity is a function of bee venom--specific IgG; and (3) bee venom is an appropriate therapeutic antigen.

Antibodies↗
PubMed1988

The Hymenoptera venom study I, 1979-1982: demographics and history-sting data.

The Hymenoptera venom study, a study based on case histories, skin test results and adverse reactions, immunotherapy and adverse reactions, and treatment efficacy, for 3236 Hymenoptera-allergic subjects, was begun in 1979 after the Food and Drug Administration approval of Hymenoptera venoms. Eighty-four Fellows and Members of the American Academy of Allergy and Immunology participated in the study. All subjects had a history of an adverse reaction to one or more Hymenoptera insects. The mean age was 30 1/2 years (range 1 to 83 years). Male subjects accounted for 61.5% and female subjects, 38.5%; 3.1% were beekeepers and 32.3% were atopic. Demographic data were similar for subgroups. There was an average of 2.7 history stings per subject. At least one systemic reaction (SR) was reported by 2866 subjects (89%); 2219 (69%) experienced an SR after their most recent sting before entry into the study, and 70% had experienced only a single SR. Moderate to severe SRs were equally likely after stings of yellow jacket, white-faced hornet, and yellow hornet (65%), honeybee (67%), or wasp (70%), although historical SRs were reported more often after stings of yellow jacket, white-faced hornet, or yellow hornet (30%) than after honeybee (19%) or wasp (14%) stings. No association was noted between the number of stings per episode and severity of the SR. Fifty-one percent of SRs were reported as occurring within 10 minutes of sting; however, the onset of a moderate to severe SR sometimes occurred at 301 or more minutes after a sting episode. Of 2219 subjects with an SR after their most recent sting before entry into the study, 68% received epinephrine for treatment.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Selection for varroatosis resistance in honeybees.

The parasitic mite Varroa jacobsoni is a major problem for beekeeping worldwide. It can be controlled efficiently with a variety of ocaracides. However, Robin F.A. Moritz argues that, owing to the risk of honey contamination and the costs involved with continuous treatment of honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) colonies, there is a pressing need to find alternative ways of varroatosis control. A variety of physiological and behavioural traits of the honeybee are known to control efficiently the development and spread of V. jacobsoni infestation. Breeding of a varroatosis-resistant honeybee seems possible and selection could offer swift results if one capitalizes on the male haploid population structure of the honeybee.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Chill sensitivity of honey bee, Apis mellifera, embryos.

Improved methods for preservation of honey bee, Apis mellifera L., germplasm would be very welcome to beekeeping industry queen breeders. The introduction of two parasites and the emergence of an antibiotic resistant disease have increased demands for resistant stock. Techniques for artificial insemination of queens are available, and semen has been cryopreserved with limited success. However, cryopreservation of embryos for rearing queens would mesh well with current practices and also provide drones (haploid males). Eggs at five ages between twenty-four hours and sixty-two hours were exposed to 0, -6.6, and/or -15 degrees C for various times, and successful hatch measured. Honey bee embryos show chill sensitivity as do other insect embryos, and the rate of chill injury increases dramatically with decrease in holding temperature. The 48 h embryos in both groups showed the greatest tolerance to chilling, although 44 h embryos were only slightly less so.

Animal Husbandry↗
PubMed2006

Molecular cloning and expression of icarapin, a novel IgE-binding bee venom protein.

The 1045bp full-length cDNA sequence of a new bee venom component was obtained by rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The 672bp coding sequence corresponds to a protein with a signal peptide and multiple carbohydrate binding sites, and it was named icarapin. It has the new consensus sequence N-[TS]-T-S-[TV]-x-K-[VI](2)-[DN]-G-H-x-V-x-I-N-[ED]-T-x-Y-x-[DHK]-x(2,6)- [STA]-[VLFI]-x-[KR]-V-R-[VLI]-[IV]-[DN]-V-x-P. At least two transcript variants were found. Recombinant icarapin was tested for recognition by IgE antibodies and gave a positive dot blot with sera from 4 out of 5 bee venom allergic patients, all beekeepers. Indirect immunofluorescent staining localized the protein in the cuticular lining of the venom duct.

Amino Acid Sequence↗