Diagnosis of allergy to honey bee venom

Bees are commonly bred by humans to obtain honey, wax and royal jelly. At the same time, it takes part in the pollination of wild and cultivated plants. On the other hand, the coexistence of humans and bees is associated with the risk of stings, and in people predisposed to anaphylaxis. Usually, local redness appears at the site of the sting's injection, accompanied by pain, and swelling up to 10 cm, lasting up to 24 hours. This is the body's physiological response to the venom. Severe systemic reactions account for 0.9% to 3.4% of all Hymenoptera stings in adults. It is the most common cause of death from anaphylaxis in this age group, accounting for 48.2% of all cases. In children, from 0.5% to 0.9% of all stings end in a severe systemic reaction, which accounts for 20.2% of all anaphylaxis episodes. 103 compounds were identified in bee venom, twelve of which were classified as allergens. Five of them are responsible for 95% of allergic reactions, they are: phospholipase A2 (Api m 1), hyaluronidase (Api m 2), acid phosphatase (Api m 3), dipeptidyl peptidase IV (Api m 5) and icarapine (Api m 10). We currently have a wide panel of diagnostic methods that allow us to diagnose and treat patients with bee venom allergy, and the treatment of patients allergic to bee venom, and still developing science and research will likely result in even better tests in the future.