ALLERGENS IN HYMENOPTERA VENOM .12. HOW MUCH PROTEIN IS IN A STING

Abstract

The protein content of insect venoms was determined using a Coomassie blue dye binding assay as well as the Lowry phenol assay. The Lowry method tended to give excessively high values with many of the venoms because of the presence of low-MW phenolic compounds and other interfering substances. Using the dye binding method, honey bee stings were found to contain 59 .+-. 7 .mu.g of protein, bumblebee and carpenter bee stings from 10 to 31 .mu.g, yellow jacket stings from 1.7 to 3.1 .mu.g, white faced hornet stings 2.4 to 5.0 .mu.g and paper wasp stings from 4.2 .+-. 17 .mu.g protein. This is in good agreement with the value of 50 .mu.g previously estimated for honey bee stings and is the 1st reported data for the other species.