The development of Jack Jumper ant venom immunotherapy: our 25 years' experience

Troy Wanandy; Thanh-Thao A Le; Wun Y Lau; Michael D Wiese; Robert J Heddle; Simon G A Brown

doi:10.1111/imj.16217

The development of Jack Jumper ant venom immunotherapy: our 25 years' experience

Intern Med J. 2023 Sep;53(9):1716-1721. doi: 10.1111/imj.16217.

Authors

Troy Wanandy^{1

2}, Thanh-Thao A Le¹, Wun Y Lau¹, Michael D Wiese³, Robert J Heddle⁴, Simon G A Brown^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Incorporating the Jack Jumper Allergy Program, Royal Hobart Hospital, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
² College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
³ Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
⁴ Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
⁵ Division of Emergency Medicine, Medical School, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
⁶ Aeromedical and Medical Retrieval Division, Ambulance Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.

PMID: 37743244
DOI: 10.1111/imj.16217

Abstract

Jack Jumper ant venom allergy is a uniquely Australian medical issue. The stinging ant is a leading cause of insect venom allergy in south-eastern Australia. An effective venom immunotherapy-based treatment was successfully developed by the Tasmanian Jack Jumper Allergy Research group. This paper provides a synopsis of our 25 years' research journey in developing this evidence-based treatment modality.

Keywords: Jack Jumper ant; Myrmecia pilosula; insect sting allergy; venom immunotherapy.

MeSH terms

Animals
Ants*
Australia
Desensitization, Immunologic
Humans
Hypersensitivity* / therapy
Pain