[Kimura's disease--immunohistochemistry using monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies]

We report a case of Kimura's disease of the external ear occurring in a 30-year-old woman. Subcutaneous masses removed from auricular lesions showed histologic features of Kimura's disease including many lymphoid follicles in the dermis, around which marked infiltrations of tissue eosinophils and mast cells, fibrosis, and vascular proliferation were seen. Immunohistochemical study by peroxidase-anti-peroxidase complex method showed IgE deposition in the lymph follicles. Infiltrating cells of extrafollicular lesions were also shown to include many mast cells which were IgE-positive in cell membranes and Giemsa-positive on cytoplasmic granules. In addition, we tried to examine the distribution of IgE Fc receptor (Fc epsilon R) by avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex (ABC) method with specifically reacting monoclonal antibody to Fc epsilon R (H107). In the germinal centers of the lymph follicles, Fc epsilon R distributed with a lacynetwork pattern. The staining pattern of dendritic reticulum cells (DAKO-DRC) was similar to that of H107. These findings indicate that Fc epsilon R on follicular dendritic cells have a close relationship to the IgE immune response and also play an important role in the pathogenesis of Kimura's disease.