Immunology

This section covers:

International standards and resources

The International Union of Immunological Societies (IUIS) has an Allergen Nomenclature database, which is approved by the World Health Organization and IUIS. Many peer-reviewed journals require these systematic allergen names to be used in their publications.

The World Health Organization Nomenclature Committee for Factors of the HLA System sets nomenclature for human leukocyte antigens.

Australian conventions and resources

The Australasian Society for Immunology is the professional organisation for immunologists in Australia and New Zealand. The society produces 2 journals: Immunology & Cell Biology and the online journal Clinical and Translational Immunology. Neither journal specifies standards for naming immunological compounds.

The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy is the peak professional medical organisation for immunology and allergies in Australia and New Zealand, and publishes reports and other resources.

Immunoglobulins

Immunoglobulin names are abbreviated as Ig, followed by a letter to show the class and an arabic numeral for subclass:

IgA     IgE     IgG     IgM     IgG1     IgA2

A number of immunoglobulin fractions are prepared from human plasma and used for treatment of a variety of human conditions. Use lower case for the names, and abbreviate using initial capitals followed by Ig (no space):

intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg)
subcutaneous immunoglobulin (SCIg)
normal human immunoglobulin (NHIg)

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Human leukocyte antigens (HLA system)

Always set HLA solid (not HL-A).

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Interleukins and interferons

Interleukins and interferons are defined with arabic numerals and/or Greek letters; a hyphen is added between interleukin (or IL) and the number/letter designation:

interleukin-1α [abbreviated to IL-1α]     interleukin-12 [IL-12]     interferon-γ [IFN-γ]

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Antigens

Surface antigens are expressed with capital letters and arabic numerals:

CD4     CD11a

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Allergens

Terms to watch out for:

food allergy, food intolerance

food allergy (also called hypersensitivity): an abnormal response to a food that is triggered by the immune system

food intolerance: a response to food that is not associated with an immune response (even though the symptoms can resemble those of a food allergy) – for example, lactose intolerance is an inability to digest lactose in milk properly and is different from lactose allergy

See all terms

Allergens are substances that cause an allergic reaction. For example, an allergy to peanuts is caused by one or more specific chemicals (proteins) in the nuts. Allergens are often named for the genus and species from which they originate, followed by a number. For example, cupin, which is one of the allergens in peanuts, is written:

Ara h 1 [Arachis hypogaea (peanut), allergen 1]

Many allergens (including most food allergens and pollens) belong to large groups of related proteins called families, clans and superfamilies. Use lower case for common names of allergens:

cupin superfamily     profilins     nonspecific lipid transfer proteins

See also Proteins.

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