Identification of B Regulatory Cells by Flow Cytometry

The goal of this laboratory and observational study is to develop a test to quantify B-regulatory cells in blood. This will be used to detect changes in B-regulatory cell populations in pollen and insect venom allergic patients who are receiving routine allergen immunotherapy treatment. The primary question this study aims to answer is;

1). Are changes in blood B-regulatory cells associated with successful allergen immunotherapy treatment, and therefore do these changes suggest patients have developed a suitable level of allergen tolerance and reduction in their allergic symptoms upon re-exposure to the causal allergen.

Patients will also be asked to complete quality of life questionnaire periodically throughout the study to determine if there are associations between variation in B-regulatory cell populations in blood and allergic symptoms experienced.