Turbo-charging bee venom immunotherapy with an adjuvant could reduce the time it takes to achieve desensitisation in people at risk of anaphylaxis, Adelaide researchers say.

A group from Flinders University have used a proprietary polysaccharide adjuvant to boost standard immunotherapy, trialling it in 27 people with a history of rapid-onset systemic allergic reactions to honeybee stings.

They received a weekly dose for the first 14 weeks, then one dose per month for 30 months.

At about week 14, specific IgG4 serum markers peaked in both groups — which is thought to be one measure of early efficacy of allergen immunotherapy.