About the Authors

Franziska Ruëff

Franziska.Rueff@med.uni-muenchen.de

Affiliation Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany

Bernhard Przybilla

Affiliation Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany

Maria Beatrice Biló

Affiliation Allergy Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Diseases, Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Ancona, Italy

Ulrich Müller

Affiliation Allergiestation Medizinische Klinik, Spital Ziegler, Spitalnetz Bern, Switzerland

Fabian Scheipl

Affiliation Statistical Consulting Unit, Department of Statistics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany

Michael J. Seitz

Affiliation Statistical Consulting Unit, Department of Statistics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany

Werner Aberer

Affiliation Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Anna Bodzenta-Lukaszyk

Affiliation Department of Allergology and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Bialystok, Bialystok, Poland

Floriano Bonifazi

Affiliation Allergy Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Diseases, Ospedali Riuniti di Ancona, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria, Ancona, Italy

Paolo Campi

Affiliation Allergy Clinic, Nuovo Ospedale San Giovanni di Dio, Florence, Italy

Ulf Darsow

Affiliation Department of Dermatology and Allergy Biederstein, Technische Universität München, and ZAUM – Center for Allergy and Environment, Munich, Germany

Gabrielle Haeberli

Affiliation Allergiestation Medizinische Klinik, Spital Ziegler, Spitalnetz Bern, Switzerland

Thomas Hawranek

Affiliation Department of Dermatology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria

Helmut Küchenhoff

Affiliation Statistical Consulting Unit, Department of Statistics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany

Roland Lang

Affiliation Department of Dermatology, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria

Oliviero Quercia

Affiliation Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Ospedale per gli Infermi, Faenza, Italy

Norbert Reider

Affiliation Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria

Peter Schmid-Grendelmeier

Affiliation Allergiestation, Dermatologische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsspital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

Maurizio Severino

Affiliation Allergy Clinic, Nuovo Ospedale San Giovanni di Dio, Florence, Italy

Gunter Johannes Sturm

Affiliation Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

Regina Treudler

Affiliation Klinik für Dermatologie, Venerologie und Allergologie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig, Germany

Brunello Wüthrich

Affiliation Allergiestation, Dermatologische Klinik und Poliklinik, Universitätsspital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

Competing Interests

The authors have the following interests. This study (collection of the data and shipping of the sera samples) was supported by grants from Phadia, Freiburg, Germany and ALK Abelló, Wedel, Germany. Measurement of baseline tryp-tase concentration was done by Phadia in Freiburg, Germany. M. Beatrice Bilò has received within the last five years travel grants and honoraria for speaking or participation at meetings from ALK-Abelló, Allergopharma, Astra, Glaxo, Meda, Menarini. She is member of the editorial board of European Annals of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and of Clinical and Translational Allergy. Floriano Bonifazi has received within the last five years travel grants and honoraria for speaking or participation at meetings from ALK-Abelló, Allergopharma, Chiesi, Glaxo, HAL Allergy, Meda, Menarini, Novartis, Thermo Fisher (former Phadia). Thomas Hawranek has received within the last five years travel grants and honoraria for speaking or participation at meetings from ALK-Abelló, MEDA and Thermo Fisher (former Phadia). He has participated in clinical studies for ALK-Abellò. He is member of several scientific associations. Helmut Küchenhoff has received research grants from ALK-Abelló and Thermo Fisher (former Phadia). Ulrich Müller has received within the last five years travel grants and honoraria for speaking or participation at meetings from ALK-Abelló and Thermo Fisher (former Phadia). He has participated in clinical studies of ALK-Abelló and Thermo Fisher (former Phadia). He is member of the interest group insect venom allergy of the EAACI. Bernhard Przybilla has received within the last five years travel grants and honoraria for speaking or participation at meetings from ALK-Abelló, Novartis, and Stallergenes, and for consulting Jansen. He is board member of the DGAKI and member of the editorial board of Allergologie and several scientific organisations (e.g. DDG). Franziska Ruëff has received within the last five years travel grants and honoraria for speaking or participation at meetings from ALK-Abelló, Bencard, HAL, Hans Karrer, Novartis, and Thermo Fisher (former Phadia). She has participated in clinical studies of Allergopharma, HAL, Novartis, and Pierre Fabre. She is chair of the interest group insect venom allergy of the EAACI and member of several scientific associations, e.g. DGAKI or DDG. She is member of the editorial board of Allergologie and Allergo Journal. Norbert Reider has received within the last five years travel grants and honoraria for speaking or participation at meetings from ALK-Abelló, Bencard, HAL, and Thermo Fisher (former Phadia). He has participated in clinical studies of ALK-Abelló, and HAL. Gunter Sturm has received within the last five years travel grants and honoraria for paid lectures from ALK-Abelló, and Thermo Fisher (former Phadia). Regina Treudler has received within the last five years travel grants and honoraria for speaking or participation at meetings from Abott, ALK-Abelló, Astellas, Basilea, Janssen-Cilag, MSD, Medea, Merckle Ricordati, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche and Shire. She has participated in clinical studies for Abbott, Allergopharma, Astellas, Novartis, MSD, Pfizer, Stallergenes, Therakos. She received research funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Fraunhofer Society, Leipzig Research Center for Civilization Disease, ALK-Abello, Allergopharma and Phadia. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials, as detailed online in the guide for authors.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: FR BP UM. Analyzed the data: FS MJS HK. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: WA MBB AB-L FB PC UD GH TH RL UM OQ FR NR PS-G MS GJS RT BW. Wrote the paper: FR. Wrote the statistical methods part of the paper: FS MJS HK. Read and revised the manuscript: FR BP MBB UM FS MJS WA ABL FB PC UD GH TH HK RL OQ NR PS-G MS GJS RT BW.