Identification of Allergens in the Box Jellyfish Chironex yamaguchii That Cause Sting Dermatitis

Background: Jellyfish stings cause painful, papular-urticarial eruptions due to the immediate allergic, acute toxic and persistent inflammatory responses. In spite of many marine accidents and their economic impact, modes of first-aid treatment remain conventional and specific allergen and medical treatment are not yet available. The purpose of this study was to define the specific allergen of the box jellyfish Chironex yamaguchii and to study the precise mechanism of the resulting dermatitis. Methods: We comprehensively studied the immunoglobulin-binding molecules from the box jellyfish C. yamaguchii with a purification procedure and Western blotting, using sera from 1 patient and from several controls. Results: From the nematocyst wall and spine, we detected IgG-binding acidic glycoprotein (of 66 and 30 kDa) as determined by Western blot and ion-exchange chromatography. In addition, the 66-kDa protein was found to be an asparagine residue-coupled N-linked glycoprotein and the epitope resided in the protein fraction. We found that CqTX-A, the major toxic protein of the nematocyst, is also a heat-stable Received: January 14, 2015 Accepted after revision: May 28, 2015 Published online: July 22, 2015 Correspondence to: Prof. Dr. Seiichi Kitani Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology 4-5-7 Konan, Minato-ku Tokyo 108-8477 (Japan) E-Mail drkitani @ kaiyodai.ac.jp © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel 1018–2438/15/1672–0073$39.50/0