Table of Contents

i2 White-faced hornet Scientific Information Summary Allergen Epidemiology Clinical Relevance Molecular Aspects Compiled By

Whole Allergen

i2 White-faced hornet

i2 White-faced hornet Scientific Information

Type:

Whole Allergen

Display Name:

White-faced hornet

Route of Exposure:

Sting

Family:

Vespidae

Species:

Dolichovespula maculata

Latin Name:

Dolichovespula maculata

Other Names:

Bald-faced hornet, Bald-faced aerial yellowjacket, Bald-faced wasp, Bald hornet, Blackjacket, White-tailed hornet, Spruce wasp, Bull wasp

Summary

The white-faced hornet belongs to the genus Dolichovespula and is mainly found in the 48 contiguous states of the USA as well as Alaska, and throughout Canada. The white-faced hornet is actually a yellowjacket and not a true ‘hornet’. Dolichovespula species are amongst the most common culprits of severe immediate allergic reactions, along with honeybees, paper wasps, hornets, stinging ants and bumblebees.

Allergen

Nature

The white-faced hornet belongs to the genus Dolichovespula and is mainly found in the 48 contiguous states of the USA as well as Alaska, and throughout Canada. The white-faced hornet is actually a yellowjacket and not a true ‘hornet’ (1). It builds aerial nests, which are usually found in exposed places such as hanging from tree branches. These yellowjackets usually feed on live prey, particularly spiders and flies (2).

Taxonomy

Taxonomic tree of White Faced Hornet (3)
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Hymenoptera
Family	Vespidae
Genus	Dolichovespula Rohwer

Taxonomic tree of White Faced Hornet (3)

Epidemiology

Worldwide distribution

The white-faced hornet is the largest and most widespread of the North American Vespidae (4) and are amongst the most common culprits of severe immediate allergic reactions, along with honeybees, paper wasps, hornets, stinging ants and bumblebees (5).

Clinical Relevance

Dolichovespula maculata belongs to the order Hymenoptera, one of the most frequent triggers for severe IgE-mediated anaphylaxis in adults. Its sting is not only very painful, but may also induce severe allergic responses in humans (4). Systemic reactions may be restricted to generalized symptoms of the skin, but can also affect the respiratory and vascular system and lead to multi-organ failure (6).

Molecular Aspects

Allergenic molecules

Table adapted from Allergome.org (7).

Allergen	Type	Mass (kDa)
Dol m 1	Phospholipase A1	38
Dol m 2	Hyaluronidase	41
Dol m 5	Unknown	23

Allergen	Type	Mass (kDa)

The allergens of the white-faced hornet include phospholipase A₁(Dol m I)and antigen 5 (originally Dol m V, now Dol m 5) (8). Antigen 5 (Dol m 5) is a protein of approximately 23 kDa first identified by King et al, in 1978. Antigen 5 is frequently reported to be the most allergenic venom component in different species of social wasps, including those belonging to the genus Dolichovespula, Vespa, Vespula, Polistes and Polybia (9). However, the role of antigen 5 is unknown (6). Other identified allergens include hyaluronidase (Dol m 2, 43 kDa) and phospholipase A₁ (Dol m 1, 37 kDa) (8).

Cross-reactivity

Antigen 5 allergens of different Vespinae members (including Dolichovespula, Vespula and Vespa species) display pronounced cross-reactivity (9).

Compiled By

Author: RubyDuke Communications

Reviewer: Dr.Michael Thorpe

Last reviewed: May 2022

References

PennState. Baldfaced Hornet 2021 [cited 2021 3.12.21]. Available from: https://extension.psu.edu/baldfaced-hornet.
Kimsey LS, Carpenter JM. The Vespinae of North America (Vespidae, Hymenoptera). Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 2012;28:37-65.
ITIS. Dolichovespula maculata (Linnaeus) 2021 [cited 2021 30.11.21]. Available from: https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=154260#null.
Schmidt JO, Blum MS. Toxicity of Dolichovespula maculata venom. Toxicon. 1979;17(6):645-8.
Korošec P, Jakob T, Harb H, Heddle R, Karabus S, de Lima Zollner R, et al. Worldwide perspectives on venom allergy. The World Allergy Organization journal. 2019;12(10):100067-.
Blank S, Bazon ML, Grosch J, Schmidt-Weber CB, Brochetto-Braga MR, Bilò MB, et al. Antigen 5 Allergens of Hymenoptera Venoms and Their Role in Diagnosis and Therapy of Venom Allergy. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 2020;20(10):58.
Allergome. Dolichovespula maculata 2021 [cited 2021 30.11.21]. Available from: https://www.allergome.org/script/search_step2.php.
Soldatova L, Kochoumian L, King TP. Sequence similarity of a hornet (D. maculata) venom allergen phospholipase A1 with mammalian lipases. FEBS Lett. 1993;320(2):145-9.
Bazon ML, Silveira LH, Simioni PU, Brochetto-Braga MR. Current Advances in Immunological Studies on the Vespidae Venom Antigen 5: Therapeutic and Prophylaxis to Hypersensitivity Responses. Toxins. 2018;10(8).