New insect allergy research delves into diagnostics and treatments

Published

Friday, September 6, 2024 - 9:00 AM

Clinical immunologists and allergists see a much broader spectrum of insect allergies, many with severe reactions, compared to 20 years ago, according to a National Allergy Centre of Excellence insect allergy survey.

The survey of Australasian clinicians was led by NACE Insect Allergy Stream Co-chairs, Professor Sheryl van Nunen of the University of Sydney and Dr Troy Wanandy of the University of Tasmania, and presented as a poster at the 2024 ASCIA Conference in Adelaide this week.

It found, most commonly, practices saw patients allergic to bees (96%), wasps (paper 61%, European 46%), ticks (58% including tick anaphylaxis, mammalian meat allergy after tick bite), and ants (50%, predominantly jack ​jumper ants).​

Reaction severity was distributed fairly equally between mild, moderate and severe systemic allergic reactions. However, 50% of respondents reported managing patients who had experienced near fatal reactions.​

The survey also showed, insect-specific VIT was available for common insect allergies: bees (84%) and wasps (paper 62%, European 46%). Jack jumper ant venom immunotherapy (JJA VIT) was restricted to three public tertiary hospitals in Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria., while immunotherapy was not available for tick allergy.

​Dr Wanandy has also had two paper recently published exploring insect induced anaphylaxis.

• Leech-bite induced anaphylaxis with or without Hymenoptera venom sensitization. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. July 2024
• Stinging Ant Anaphylaxis: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. July 2024

For a list of recent publications into drug, food, insect and respiratory allergy, visit the NACE Knowledge Hub