SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2005 9/7/05 Maintenance dose of venom extract in immunotherapy Summary Background - The maintenance dose of venom extract (VE) used in immunotherapy (IT) has usually been 100 microg. However, the question has arisen whether a higher maintenance dose of VE would reduce venom sensitivity to a greater degree. Findings - Martinez et al compared the effects of maintenance doses of 100 and 200 microg of vespular VE given to 21 adults with similar degrees of baseline sensitivity to such VE, as determined by skin tests and in vitro specific IgE levels. They found decreases in such IgE sensitivity in those receiving the 200 microg maintenance dose but not in recipients of the 100 microg dose. Reference Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 2005;94:451-6 Editor's Comments These findings do suggest that a 200 microg maintenance dose of VE may be more effective than 100 microg of VE in decreasing venom sensitivity. However, such maintenance doses were given after a rush IT protocol for increasing doses of VE. Therefore, it is uncertain whether these findings can be extrapolated to standard IT protocols. Also, it was not shown in this study that clinical protection against a sting challenge was better in those receiving the 200 microg maintenance dose.   © Copyright 1997-2005 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology All rights reserved