Serum reagins and leucocyte response in patients with house-dust mite allergy

A study was carried out on 26 patients with respiratory allergy due to the house-dust mite Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and on 10 non-allergic control subjects using two in-vitro histamine release tests for assessing immediate-type allergy. The first test was on the patients' serum and assessed reaginic (anaphylactic; possibly IgE) antibodies by passive sensitization of normal human lung tissue. The second test was on the patients' leucocytes directly challenged with the mite antigen.Positive results were obtained in over 90% of patients, whereas the tests were either negative or very weakly positive in the control subjects. A significant degree of correlation was found between the two tests used, but pronounced differences were observed in a few instances.Confirmation of the role of IgE in tissue sensitization was obtained from tests with anti-IgE serum on leucocytes. Positive reactions of patients' leucocytes were also obtained with anti-IgG, anti-IgA, and anti-IgM sera, which would suggest that antibodies belonging to these immunoglobulin classes may also play a part in immediate-type allergic reactions.