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Venom Content

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology

Synonyms

Antigen 5; Hyaluronidase; Hymenoptera venom proteins; Insect venom allergens; Phospholipase; Protease

Definition

Venoms of social Hymenoptera consist of a variety of proteins, peptides, and other small molecules. Many of these molecules are bioactive. This entry concentrates on the venom constituents that are allergens, contributing to an IgE-mediated immune response.

Hymenoptera Venoms

Social Hymenoptera have venoms specialized for defense and occasionally other functions such as killing or paralyzing prey. Many of the constituents are bioactive peptides and other smaller organic molecules with widely different functions and properties. Many of the proteins and larger peptides can function as allergens in humans, inducing IgE antibody formation and causing allergic reactions upon subsequent stings. There are excellent reviews of the smaller molecules in honeybee venom (Banks and Shipolini 1986), vespid wasp venoms (Nakajima 1986), and ant venoms (Schmidt 1986). The venom...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, 109 Wellcome Dr, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA

    Donald R. Hoffman

Authors
  1. Donald R. Hoffman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Donald R. Hoffman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Ian R. Mackay

  2. Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Noel R. Rose

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

    Dennis K. Ledford

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

    Richard F. Lockey

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Hoffman, D.R. (2014). Venom Content. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Ledford, D.K., Lockey, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_197

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_197

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-9193-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9194-1

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