Lomnitzer R, Rabson A R
J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1986 Jul;78(1 Pt 1):25-30. doi: 10.1016/0091-6749(86)90110-7.
Lymphocyte proliferation activity after in vitro bee venom (BV) stimulation was examined in a group of patients allergic to bee stings and in a group of beekeepers. Although the allergic patients responded strongly to increasing doses of BV, the beekeepers demonstrated no proliferative activity and an inability to produce interleukin-2 after BV stimulation. Removal of adherent cells or various populations of suppressor cells, including T gamma cells and OKT8 positive cells, did not influence the cellular unresponsiveness of cells of beekeepers after BV stimulation. Furthermore, cells of beekeepers, when they were trypsinized or when they were preincubated for 72 hours, did not proliferate after BV challenge. It is concluded that the lack of proliferation of lymphocytes of beekeepers and the inability to produce interleukin-2 is not due to a suppressor mechanism or to the presence of anti-idiotype antibodies coating the surface of lymphocytes of beekeepers. The mechanism behind the failure of cells of beekeepers to proliferate remains unclear.
