IL-5 MESSENGER-RNA EXPRESSION IN BLOOD-LYMPHOCYTES FROM PATIENTS WITHKIMURAS-DISEASE AND PARASITE INFECTION

Blood lymphocytes from patients with eosinophilia are known to produce interleukin-5 (IL-5) with appropriate stimulation in vitro. To determ ine whether blood lymphocytes from these patients produce IL-5 in vivo , we tested the IL-5 mRNA expression in blood lymphocytes immediately after separation by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (R T-PCR) method. We found that lymphocytes from eosinophilic patients ex pressed IL-5 mRNA, but lymphocytes from normal volunteers did not expr ess the lymphokine. These findings suggest that in patients with eosin ophilia, peripheral blood lymphocytes produce IL-5 in vivo. (C) 1994 W iley-Liss, Inc.