[Immunodiagnosis of Aspergillus-induced bronchopulmonary diseases]

Studies using the immunoblot technique were carried out to identify the components of Aspergillus fumigatus against which the IgE and IgG antibodies of 22 patients with Aspergillus-related lung diseases are directed. Asthmatics exhibit IgE antibodies against 2-6 of the fungus components and, surprisingly, an even more pronounced IgG antibody reaction. It was determined that persons suffering from allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis show massive IgE-and IgG-mediated sensitization, generally against more than 20 components. However, treatment with corticosteroids, which produces remarkable improvement in cases with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, is associated with very low amounts of specific IgE. Patients with farmer's lung disease and aspergilloma possess--with one exception--no specific IgE antibodies, but all have comparable spectra of specific IgG antibodies; in the latter group the especially high antigenic activity of components with a molecular weight of about 18,000 daltons was noticeable. Healthy subjects display weak IgG antibody reactions with only a few Aspergillus antigens. These results show that more than 30 antigen-active components of Aspergillus fumigatus can be identified by means of the immunoblot technique, and that the IgE and IgG antibodies of persons with Aspergillus-related bronchopulmonary illnesses show characteristic reaction patterns which may be useful in differential diagnosis.