Blood samples were collected from three cases of anaphylactic death and compared to samples from 55 consecutive control bodies (35 m, 20 f, mean age 67.6 16.8 years) drawn during necropsy at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Vienna between January 2006 and May 2007. Inclusion criteria for all cases were adequate information about the cause and the time point of death as well as availability of a blood sample drawn from the femoral vein (including knowledge of the
time point of collection) for the determination of tryptase, histamine and diamine oxidase (DAO).