IN VITRO DETECTION OF OVALBUMIN-SPECIFIC IgA PRODUCING CELLS FROM LYMPHOCYTES OF PATIENTS WITH HEN-EGG ALLERGY

Abstract

We studied antigen-specific IgA production from the peripheral lymphocytes of children with hen-egg allergy by using the method of indirect plaque forming cell (PFC) assay. The number of OVA-specific IgA-PFC generated from the patient lymphocytes was low (6±3/7×10^4 non T cells) in comparison with age-matched normal children (112±18/7×10^4 non T cells). The numbers of OVA-specific IgG-PFC and IgM-PFC generated from the patient lymphocytes were not so different from those of the age-matched normal children. This indicates that the activity of OVA-specific IgA-antibody production was reduced in patients with hen-egg allergy.