COMPARISON OF SURFACE-ANTIGENS ON EOSINOPHILS FROM PATIENTS WITH EOSINOPHILIA

Recent studies have suggested that there may be heterogeneity among hu man eosinophils. To study this further, surface antigens on blood eosi nophils from patients with eosinophilia (23 bronchial asthma, 6 eosino philic pneumonia, 1 Kimura's disease and 1 adult T-cell leukemia) and from 8 control subjects were examined using a new direct method for fl uorescence detection of eosinophils. HLA-DR+ and CD4+ eosinophil count s were higher in patients with bronchial asthma and adult T-cell leuke mia (ATL) than in patients from other groups and in control subjects. CD11b+ eosinophil counts in Kimura's disease and ATL were smaller than those in the other groups. CD45RO+ eosinophil counts in bronchial ast hma and eosinophilic pneumonia were significantly higher (p < 0.05) co mpared with Kimura's disease, ATL and control subjects. CD44+ eosinoph il counts in eosinophilic pneumonia were significantly higher (p < 0.0 5) compared with the other groups and control subjects. These results suggest the existence of functional heterogeneity in the different eos inophilic diseases, with eosinophils in bronchial asthma and eosinophi lic pneumonia being more highly activated in migration, activation and immunoregulation. On the other hand, eosinophils in Kimura's disease and ATL might be functionally down-regulated. This heterogeneity of eo sinophils may reflect differences in the pathogenesis of various eosin ophilic diseases.