Correlation of Aedes albopictus bite reaction with IgE antibody assay and lymphocyte transformation test to mosquito salivary antigens.

To investigate the mechanisms responsible for mosquito bite reaction, 120 subjects were experimentally exposed to Aedes albopictus bite and two types of immunological tests were performed. Specific IgE antibodies to salivary gland extract (SGE) antigens of female Aedes albopictus were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in all subjects. Lymphocyte transformation tests (LTTs) to the same antigens were measured in 51 of the 120 subjects. The relationships between the results of ELISA and LTTs with bite reactions were statistically analysed. The amount of specific IgE antibodies correlated well with immediate bite reactions (r = 0.55) (p less than 0.01). Stimulation indices (SIs) to SGE antigens correlated with delayed bite reactions (r = 0.54) (p less than 0.01). The results suggest that type I hypersensitivity plays a role in the immediate reaction to mosquito bites and a cellular immune mechanism is responsible for the pathogenesis of delayed bite reactions.