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Honeybee Venom Allergy in Beekeepers

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Beekeeping – From Science to Practice

Abstract

Honeybees, members of the order Hymenoptera, are a major cause of systemic allergic reactions (SARs) including anaphylaxis. In certain occupations, such as beekeeping, the risk of a SAR is higher than in the general population. Beekeepers and their family members are regularly exposed to honeybee stings making them a unique population to study Hymenoptera hypersensitivity. Therefore, beekeepers and their family members need information about how to avoid stings and differentiate a local reaction from a SAR. They also need information about how and when to use an epinephrine autoinjector for a SAR and when honeybee venom immunotherapy (VIT) is indicated to prevent future SARs. For beekeepers and their family members, VIT should be given indefinitely. Once VIT maintenance is achieved, multiple monthly bee stings or optimal maintenance VIT should be continued. Alternative employment should be considered when VIT is not effective.

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Abbreviations

ACE:

Angiotensin-converting enzyme

ED:

Emergency department

ID:

Intradermal

IM:

Intramuscular

LLR:

Large, local reaction

PLA2:

Phospholipase A2

SAR:

Systemic allergic reaction

VIT:

Venom immunotherapy

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and James A. Haley Veterans Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA

    Peter A. Ricketti & Richard F. Lockey

Authors
  1. Peter A. Ricketti
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  2. Richard F. Lockey
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Bickering Bees Farm, Belle Haven, VA, USA

    Russell H. Vreeland

  2. Tucson, AZ, USA

    Diana Sammataro

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Disclaimer The authors have indicated there is no funding in support of this document. Additionally, there are no other relationships that might pose a conflict of interest by any of the authors. None of the authors has any professional or financial relationships relevant to the subject matter in this paper. This manuscript and any tables or figures therein have not been submitted to or are under consideration by any other publisher or publication.

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Ricketti, P.A., Lockey, R.F. (2017). Honeybee Venom Allergy in Beekeepers. In: Vreeland, R., Sammataro, D. (eds) Beekeeping – From Science to Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60637-8_13

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