Pine Processionary Caterpillar Allergenicity Increases during Larval Development

BACKGROUND: In European countries, pine processionary caterpillar (Thaumetopoea pityocampa) is one of the species of Lepidoptera able to affect humans. Its allergenicity has been demonstrated in previous studies. However, in all of them larval extract in the fifth stage of development has been used as antigen. Therefore, allergenicity of other larval stages was unknown. The objective of our study was to detect allergenic changes of pine processionary caterpillar during larval development. METHODS: Pine processionary caterpillar extracts in all larval stages were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Immunoblotting was performed using patient sera with suggestive history of allergy and a positive prick test.