ROLE OF THE EOSINOPHIL IN ALLERGIC REACTIONS

The eosinophil may have several functions in health and in the pathoge nesis of allergic and other diseases, Some roles of the eosinophil are based on the acute, effector responses of this cell, its capacity to generate biologically active lipid mediators and release its granule c ontents, including its distinctive cationic proteins. Whilst the effec tor responses of eosinophils are important for their contribution to t he acute pathogenesis of allergic diseases, a fuller understanding of the eosinophil requires evaluation of the role this cell may play at t issue sites, especially submucosal sites, where the cell is normally l ocalized in the absence of disease, Moreover, for the long-lived, tiss ue-resident eosinophil, definition of the interactions that occur betw een the eosinophil and other immune cells is germane to understanding the functions of eosinophils both in acute and chronic diseases. Many allergic diseases are characterized by heightened accumulation of eosi nophils and are chronic ongoing diseases.