BACKGROUND: Approximately 40 to 80% of egg-allergic children outgrow egg allergy after 2 to 5 years. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: To detail the immunologic mechanisms involved in the development of tolerance to egg proteins, the balance between interleukin 4 (IL4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) synthesis in patients with active atopic dermatitis allergic to hen egg and in those outgrowing hen egg allergy was evaluated. RESULTS: A marked increase in IL4 and a decrease in IFN-gamma synthesis by peripheral blood lymphocytes following ovalbumin (OVA) specific in vitro stimulation was observed in active atopic dermatitis. In contrast, OVA-induced IL4 synthesis in patients in remission was comparable to that in normal individuals. An intriguing finding was higher production of IFN-gamma by lymphocytes from ovalbumin-insensitive patients in remission as compared to normal individuals following antigen stimulation, although cell proliferation in OVA-stimulated lymphocytes was reduced in patients during remission. CONCLUSION: OVA antigen may be capable of inducing a population of Th1-type cells to produce cytokines such as IFN-gamma, resulting in suppression of Th2-type responses, i.e. IL4 secretion. We speculate that the changes in the balance of relevant antigen-induced cytokine synthesis seen in such patients may be causally associated with the improvement in their clinical status.
BACKGROUND: Approximately 40 to 80% of egg-allergic children outgrow egg allergy after 2 to 5 years. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: To detail the immunologic mechanisms involved in the development of tolerance to egg proteins, the balance between interleukin 4 (IL4) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) synthesis in patients with active atopic dermatitis allergic to hen egg and in those outgrowing hen egg allergy was evaluated. RESULTS: A marked increase in IL4 and a decrease in IFN-gamma synthesis by peripheral blood lymphocytes following ovalbumin (OVA) specific in vitro stimulation was observed in active atopic dermatitis. In contrast, OVA-induced IL4 synthesis in patients in remission was comparable to that in normal individuals. An intriguing finding was higher production of IFN-gamma by lymphocytes from ovalbumin-insensitive patients in remission as compared to normal individuals following antigen stimulation, although cell proliferation in OVA-stimulated lymphocytes was reduced in patients during remission. CONCLUSION: OVA antigen may be capable of inducing a population of Th1-type cells to produce cytokines such as IFN-gamma, resulting in suppression of Th2-type responses, i.e. IL4 secretion. We speculate that the changes in the balance of relevant antigen-induced cytokine synthesis seen in such patients may be causally associated with the improvement in their clinical status.
Authors: A-K Larsson; C Nilsson; A Höglind; E Sverremark-Ekström; G Lilja; M Troye-Blomberg Journal: Clin Exp Immunol Date: 2006-06 Impact factor: 4.330
Authors: Scott H Sicherer; Robert A Wood; Brian P Vickery; Stacie M Jones; Andrew H Liu; David M Fleischer; Peter Dawson; Lloyd Mayer; A Wesley Burks; Alexander Grishin; Donald Stablein; Hugh A Sampson Journal: J Allergy Clin Immunol Date: 2014-02 Impact factor: 10.793