Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026
Sublingual Immunotherapy as an Alternative to Induce Protection Against Acute Respiratory Infections
Published on: August 30, 2014
Successful administration of a 1-day imported fire ant rush immunotherapy protocol
Courtney A Judd1, Amy L Parker, Eric A Meier
1Department of Allergy and Immunology, Wilford Hall Medical Center, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Insights
A novel 1-day rush immunotherapy (RIT) protocol using imported fire ant (IFA) whole-body extract (WBE) shows promise for young children. This approach may offer a safe and effective way to prevent anaphylaxis in IFA-allergic children.
Area of Science:
- Allergy and Immunology
- Pediatric Allergy
- Immunotherapy
Background:
- Young children with a history of systemic reactions to imported fire ant (IFA) stings face a high risk of re-sting due to limited avoidance skills.
- Assessing effective prevention strategies for anaphylaxis in this vulnerable population is crucial.
Observation:
- This case series evaluated a modified 1-day rush immunotherapy (RIT) protocol for imported fire ant (IFA) whole-body extract (WBE) in 3 patients aged 36 months or younger.
- The protocol involved a rapid desensitization schedule adapted from a previously established 2-day protocol.
Findings:
- All three pediatric patients demonstrated positive skin test reactions to IFA WBE prior to treatment.
- No systemic reactions were observed in any of the patients during the 1-day RIT administration.
- The study utilized a maintenance vial containing a 1:10 dilution of IFA WBE with human serum albumin diluent.
Implications:
- This case series suggests that a 1-day IFA RIT protocol may be a safe and potentially effective option for preventing anaphylaxis in young children allergic to IFA.
- Further research with larger patient cohorts is warranted to validate the safety and efficacy of this expedited immunotherapy approach.
Background:
Young children with a history of systemic reactions to imported fire ant (IFA) stings are at substantial risk of recurrent stings because of their maturational inability to practice appropriate avoidance techniques.
Objective:
To present 3 cases in which patients 36 months or younger completed a 1-day rush immunotherapy (RIT) protocol with IFA whole-body extract (WBE).
Methods:
The 1-day RIT protocol used for these patients was modified from the Wilford Hall 2-day rush protocol previously published. A 1:1 vol/vol maintenance vial consisted of 1 mL of IFA WBE and 9 mL of human serum albumin diluent in a 10-mL vial.
Results:
All 3 patients had positive intradermal skin test results to IFA WBE. No systemic reactions occurred during the 1-day RIT.
Conclusions:
This case series provides data with which we can begin to assess the efficacy and safety of a 1-day IFA RIT protocol for the prevention of anaphylaxis in IFA allergic children. Further studies with larger numbers of patients are needed to confirm the findings.
More Related Videos
05:44A Rapid, Simple, and Standardized Homogenization Method to Prepare Antigen/Adjuvant Emulsions for Inducing Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Published on: December 9, 2022
09:44Pretargeted Radioimmunotherapy Based on the Inverse Electron Demand Diels-Alder Reaction
Published on: January 29, 2019