Cross-reactivity of ant allergens with bee and wasp venom
About 50% of honey bee and wasp venom-allergic patients also reactedin vitro with fire ant venom,67 subsequently attributed to the venom phospholipases Ves v 1/Sol i 1 which share 31% identity.68 No cross-reactivity was observed, however, between Sol i 1 and Poly p 1 from Polybia paulista despite comparable SI.49 Cross-reactions between fire ant and honey bee venom have has been shown to be entirely due to CCDs.68
Recent studies using recombinant allergens reported that 37% of Ves v 5-positive sera also bind to Sol i 3.50 Likewise,Brachyponera chinensis antigen 5 (Pac c 3) was found to be cross-reactive with Ves v 5.39 In another study ofBrachyponera allergens, however, only minimal cross-reactivity was observed with Vespula, Polistes, and Solenopsisvenom.69 Overall, available data suggest that cross-reactivity is modest or absent.