SOLUBLE (S)CD23 LEVELS IN A PARASITIZED POPULATION FROM PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA

Levels of sCD23, total and specific IgE were found to be considerably elevated in the plasma of a helminth infected population from Papua Ne w Guinea. Using age-corrected data, a significant negative correlation was seen between sCD23 and total IgE in the young, at a time when hoo kworms are being rapidly acquired, and total IgE levels are rising mos t dramatically. It is suggested on the basis of this data that this in verse correlation is due to the stabilizing effect of IgE on the Fc(ep silon)RII receptor in vivo, and that the high levels of sCD23 seen in hookworm infected individuals are partly responsible for the high leve ls of IgE recorded in these patients.