Serum was collected from 50 patients with cystic fibrosis, and IgG antibodies to Aspergillus fumigatus were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, total IgE and Aspergillus specific IgE antibodies were measured in 41 of the 50. A close association was found between pulmonary function and clinical state, and IgG antibodies to Aspergillus. There was no association bet...

Several splice variants of IgE exist in human plasma, including a variant called IgE-tailpiece (IgE-tp) that differs from classical IgE by the replacement of two carboxy-terminal amino acids with eight novel residues that include an ultimate cysteine. To date, the role of the secreted IgE-tp isoform in human immunity is unknown. We show that levels of IgE-tp are raised in helminth-infected dono...

Understanding how class switch recombination (CSR) is regulated to produce immunoglobulin E (IgE) has become fundamental because of the dramatic increase in the prevalence of IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions. CSR requires the induction of the enzyme AICDA in B cells. Mutations in AICDA have been linked to Hyper-IgM syndrome (HIGM2), which shows absence of switching to IgE as well as to I...

BACKGROUND Abdominal complaints related to food intake might be due to hypersensitivity. A firm diagnosis of food allergy is often difficult to establish, particularly in the absence of systemic food-specific IgE. Using ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) we were able to visualise the intestinal response in one such case. METHODS A 24-year-old female presented with self-repor...

From the Imperial College School of Medicine, National Heart and Lung Institute, London. LLERGIC rhinitis, asthma, and atopic eczema are among the commonest causes of chronic ill health. These diseases are increasing in prevalence, and they add considerably to the burden of health care costs. In Sweden, for example, the number of children with allergic rhinitis, asthma, or eczema roughly double...

Food allergy can present as immediate hypersensitivity [manifestations mediated by immunoglobulin (Ig)E], delayed-type hypersensitivity (reactions associated with specific T lymphocytes), and inflammatory reactions caused by immune complexes. For reasons of ethics and efficacy, investigations in humans to determine sensitization and allergic responses of IgE production to innocuous food protein...

Haemodialysis (HD)-associated anaphylactic and anaphylactoid reactions are found to be a complex problem, and though they have been well-documented in literature, a number of unexplored aspects remain. Anaphylaxis is a severe, life-threatening, generalized or systemic form of hypersensitivity. The clinical diagnosis is based on case history and physical examination, and includes symptoms of air...

Hypersensitivity to drugs is a complex diagnostic challenge. Detailed medical history remains the mainstay of drug hypersensitivity evaluation, which further determines diagnostic procedures, especially the types of skin tests to be performed. The current paper presents the case of a female patient with coexisting features of supposed immunoglobulin E (IgE) dependent allergic hypersensitivity t...

Mast cells (MCs) are tissue-resident immune cells, which play a pivotal role in skin hypersensitivity reactions. MCs activation via Mas-Related G Protein-Coupled Receptor X2 (MRGPRX2) is independent of the classical IgE-mediated pathway, gained much interest recently. Calcium mobilization crucial to mast cell and functional regulation. Ryanodine receptor (RYR) expresses on sarcoplasmic reticulu...

Recently studies performed on mushroom isolated polysaccharides demonstrated that β -(1,3)-glucan may affect the balance of Th1/Th2 cell response. Using ovalbumin (OVA) as a hypersensitivity inducer, we evaluated the ability of mushroom beta-glucan (MBG) in modulating Th1/Th2 cell responses in B6 mice. As compared to the control group, administration of MBG resulted in an increase of phagocytic...