Hypersensitivity to Bee Venom

Late presentation of polyserositis following single honey bee sting: A case report

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

The severity of a bee sting reaction can vary. There are two kinds of responses: local and systemic. The systemic manifestations are rare, especially polyserositis. Polyserositis describes the inflammation of serous membranes such as the pericardium, the pleura, or the peritoneum. We reported a case of polyserositis following a honeybee sting with late presentation.

CASE PRESENTATION

This is a case report of a 30-year-old man who presented with progressive dyspnea, swelling of both lower limbs, and abdominal pain that began three days after the bite. CT showed pericardial, pleural, and abdominal fluid. Echocardiography showed tamponade. He underwent surgery to remove pericardial and pleural fluid. Following surgery, the patient underwent medical treatment. Ten days following treatment he developed a complete resolution of all symptoms and signs.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

Bee stings can be life- threatening. Polyserositis occurring due to honey bee sting is a rare complication. The honey bee sting appeared to cause increased microvascular permeability. Pericardial, pleural effusion, abdominal ascites, and lower limb edema due to honey bee stings are infrequent complications. The physician should know enough about all the possible side effects of bee stings.

CONCLUSION

Physicians should be informed of the rare complications of bee stings. To prevent systemic complications medical treatment is recommended.

Current Advances in Immunological Studies on the Vespidae Venom Antigen 5: Therapeutic and Prophylaxis to Hypersensitivity Responses

Although systemic reactions caused by allergenic proteins present in venoms affect a small part of the world population, Hymenoptera stings are among the main causes of immediate hypersensitivity responses, with risk of anaphylactic shock. In the attempt to obtain therapeutic treatments and prophylaxis to hypersensitivity responses, interest in the molecular characterization of these allergens has grown in the scientific community due to the promising results obtained in immunological and clinical studies. The present review provides an update on the knowledge regarding the immune response and the therapeutic potential of Antigen 5 derived from Hymenoptera venom. The results confirm that the identification and topology of epitopes, associated with molecular regions that interact with antibodies, are crucial to the improvement of hypersensitivity diagnostic methods.

An unusual case of bilateral empyema associated with bee sting

Bee sting in most situations is life threatening. Spectrum of bee sting ranges from mild local reaction to death. The literature regarding the bee sting disease from India is sparse. The rare manifestations of the disease include encephalitis, polyneuritis, myocardial infarction, pulmonary edema, bleeding manifestations, and renal failure. Bee sting infections are rare and no field studies have been performed to determine the exact sequence of events that lead to infection of bee stings and if not treated properly can lead to fatal outcomes. Here we present a case of unusual bilateral empyema associated with bee sting.

Removing bee stings

BACKGROUND

Conventional advice on immediate treatment of honey-bee stings has emphasised that the sting should be scraped off, never pinched. The morphology of the sting suggested little basis for this advice, which is likely to slow down removal of the sting.

METHODS

The response to honey-bee stings was assayed with a measurement of the size of the resulting weal. Injection of known quantities of venom showed that this measurement is a good indicator of envenomisation.

FINDINGS

Weal size, and thus envenomisation, increased as the time from stinging to removal of the sting increased, even within a few seconds. There was no difference in response between stings scraped or pinched off after 2 s.

INTERPRETATION

These data suggest that advice to patients on the immediate treatment of bee stings should emphasise quick removal, without concern for the method of removal.