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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 23, 2026

Intralymphatic Immunotherapy and Vaccination in Mice

Intralymphatic Immunotherapy and Vaccination in Mice

Published on: February 2, 2014

Discontinuing venom immunotherapy: outcome after five years

D B Golden¹, K A Kwiterovich, A Kagey-Sobotka

¹Johns Hopkins University, Asthma and Allergy Center, Baltimore, MD 21224-6821, USA.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

|February 1, 1996

Summary

Venom immunotherapy (VIT) can be safely stopped after five years for most patients. Discontinuing VIT does not increase sting reaction risk and sensitivity naturally declines over time.

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Area of Science:

Allergy and Immunology
Clinical Toxicology
Immunotherapy Research

Background:

Clinical outcomes of stopping venom immunotherapy (VIT) are unclear.
Determining safe discontinuation criteria for VIT is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

To assess the safety and immunological effects of discontinuing VIT after 5 years.
To identify patient subgroups who may not be suitable for VIT cessation.

Main Methods:

Volunteers completed at least 5 years of maintenance VIT.
Post-discontinuation, patients underwent sting challenges, venom skin tests, and IgE antibody measurements every 1-2 years.

Main Results:

Only 3% of sting challenges (10% of patients) resulted in systemic symptoms, with few clinically significant reactions.
Venom skin test negativity increased from 28% at discontinuation to 56-67% after 2-4 years without VIT.
Venom-specific IgE levels decreased, and challenge stings did not increase reaction risk or prevent sensitivity decline.

Conclusions:

VIT can be safely discontinued after 5 years for most patients.
Venom sensitivity decreases over time, even after therapy cessation.
Prolonged VIT may induce a non-IgG-mediated mechanism for long-term allergy suppression.