INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE CELLULAR IMMUNE-RESPONSES IN LATEX ALLERGY

Latex allergy is a hypersensitivity response to allergens in the natur al latex products. Skin prick tests, which do not correlate very well with latex-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), are yet the only reliable diagnostic tools for clinically determining hypersensitivity to latex In this study, patients who were skin test (SPT) positive with (STP+/A NA+) or without (SPT+/ANA-) history of anaphylaxis formed the test gro ups. Healthy volunteers (SPT-/ANA-) served as controls. Lymphocyte pro liferation in response to crude and purified latex antigens, serum imm unoglobulin E-total, and latex-specific and in vitro immunoglobulin E (IgE) production in response to crude latex antigens were studied. Res ults indicate that both patient groups showed enhanced response to lat ex antigen by lymphoproliferation. In patient groups this response to the different antigens tested, or to crude versus purified antigens, w as not statistically different. Serum total IgE (ng/ml) was elevated i n patients (range, SPT+/ANA-, 40 to 1250; SPT+/ANA+, 40 to 4550) when compared with controls (40 to 450). Low levels (1 to 3 ng/ml) of IgE w ere detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cell culture supernat ants from the patient groups. These levels were less than or equal to 1 ng/ml in the control group. Significant levels of IgE (log titer, me an +/- SD) specific to MFL1 and glove antigens were measured in serum from both SPT+/ANA- (MFL1, 1.85 +/- 0.23, p < 0.001; glove, 1.81 +/- 0 .23, p < 0.001) and SPT+/ANA- (MFL1, 1.92 +/- 0.39, p < 0.007; glove 1 .85 +/- 0.4, p < 0.006) end compared with results from the control gro up (MFL1, 1.50 +/- 0.1; glove, 1.38 +/- 0.19). These results indicate that similar immunologic testing of a larger number of latex allergens may provide material that could be used safely and efficiently for di agnosis or as immunomodulatory agents in therapy.