Prevalence of allergic sensitivity to imported fire ants in children from an endemic region

Children living in endemic regions for imported fire ants (IFA) are subject to frequent IFA stings. Little is known about the epidemiology of sensitization to IFA in children. We examined the prevalence of allergic sensitization to IFA, yellow jacket venom (YJV) and peanut in 145 unselected children...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of allergy and clinical immunology 2004-02, Vol.113 (2), p.S74-S74
Main Authors: Caplan, E.L., Ford, J.L., Young, P.F., Ownby, D.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Children living in endemic regions for imported fire ants (IFA) are subject to frequent IFA stings. Little is known about the epidemiology of sensitization to IFA in children. We examined the prevalence of allergic sensitization to IFA, yellow jacket venom (YJV) and peanut in 145 unselected children, 7-18 years of age, from an IFA infested region. Specific IgE to IFA, YJV, and peanut were determined using the Pharmacia UniCAP assay. Results were compared to identical studies in 200 local adult blood donors. The prevalence of IFA-specific IgE (70/145, 48%) in the childhood population was significantly higher than to YJV (11/145, 7.6%, p
ISSN:0091-6749
1097-6825
DOI:10.1016/j.jaci.2003.12.242