Department of Medical Entomology, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
Department of Molecular Tropical Medicine and Genetics, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 2018 Jun;36(2):101-108. doi: 10.12932/AP-100217-0012.
Specific IgE against Solenopsis invicta (imported fire ant) remains the current diagnostic tool for allergy to ants worldwide. However, S. invicta may not be the only cause of ant anaphylaxis in Thai patients.
To characterize ant species causing anaphylaxis in Thai patients and to test allergenic reactivity to whole body extracts (WBE) of S. geminata (tropical fire ants) in patients with evidence of IgE-mediated ant anaphylaxis.
Thirty-two patients with ant anaphylaxis were identified. The causative ants collected by the patients were subjected to species identification. Twelve patients with ant anaphylaxis and showed positive skin test or serum specific IgE to S. invicta and 14 control subjects were recruited. Whole body extraction from S. geminata was performed for protein characterization using SDS-PAGE and protein staining. IgE-immunoblotting and ELISA-specific IgE binding assays were performed on patients' sera and compared with controls.
Of 32 patients with ant anaphylaxis, the most common causative ant identified was S. geminata (37.5%). Western blot analysis of crude S. geminata revealed 13 refined protein components that bound to patients' serum IgE. Three major allergens with molecular masses of 26, 55 and 75 kDa were identified. All 12 patients gave positive results for specific IgE to S. geminata with statistically significant higher absorbance units of 0.390 ± 0.044, compared to healthy control group (0.121 ± 0.010), P < 0.01.
S. geminata is identified as the most common causative ant anaphylaxis in Thai patients. Its WBE comprises of 13 IgE-binding components and 3 major allergens (26, 55 and 75 kDa), which supported possible IgE-mediated mechanism.
特异性 IgE 针对 Solenopsis invicta（红火蚁）仍然是目前全球用于诊断蚂蚁过敏的工具。然而，S. invicta 可能不是泰国患者蚂蚁过敏反应的唯一原因。
描述引起泰国患者过敏反应的蚂蚁种类，并检测对 S. geminata（热带红火蚁）全身体提取物（WBE）具有过敏反应的患者中 IgE 介导的蚂蚁过敏反应。
鉴定了 32 例蚂蚁过敏反应患者。患者收集的致病蚂蚁进行了物种鉴定。从 12 例有蚂蚁过敏反应和对 S. invicta 皮试或血清特异性 IgE 阳性的患者和 14 例对照中招募患者。使用 SDS-PAGE 和蛋白质染色对 S. geminata 的全身体提取物进行蛋白质特征分析。对患者血清进行 IgE-免疫印迹和 ELISA 特异性 IgE 结合试验，并与对照进行比较。
32 例蚂蚁过敏反应患者中，最常见的致病蚂蚁是 S. geminata（37.5%）。粗 S. geminata 的 Western blot 分析显示 13 个与患者血清 IgE 结合的精制蛋白成分。鉴定出 3 种主要过敏原，分子量分别为 26、55 和 75 kDa。12 例患者均对 S. geminata 的特异性 IgE 呈阳性反应，吸光度单位为 0.390 ± 0.044，明显高于健康对照组（0.121 ± 0.010），P < 0.01。
S. geminata 是泰国患者最常见的致病蚂蚁过敏反应原因。其 WBE 包含 13 个 IgE 结合成分和 3 种主要过敏原（26、55 和 75 kDa），支持可能的 IgE 介导机制。
