Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Allergy in Cystic Fibrosis

Abstract

Basophil histamine release by P. aeruginosa standard antigen was examined in cystic fibrosis patients chronically infected with mucoid P. aeruginosa (CF +P) and with pronounced antibody response against these bacteria, and in patients without P. aeruginosa infection (CF +P). All the patients showed eosinophil counts and total IgE, which did not differ significantly from that of normal persons. In the absence of patient's sera, histamine release was only found in two patients in the CF +P group, indicating that type I allergy to P. aeruginosa is not predominating in cystic fibrosis. In the presence of patients' sere significantly more of the CF+P patients responded to P. aeruginosa with histamine release compared with the CF-P patients. The response was lost by complement inactivation and regained by reconstitution of the complement activity. The involvement of a type III-mediated complement-dependent histamine release is therefore suggested in the pathogenesis of lung damage in cystic fibrosis.

Platelet 3H‐Serotonin Releasing Immune Complexes Induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Cystic Fibrosis

“…By incubating P. aeruginosa standard antigens in the presence of 10% of the patients' sera, histamine release from basophils was obtained in 50% of the GF-(-P patients, whereas no release was observed when sera were complement-inactivated. It was therefore suggested that a type Ill-mediated complement-dependent histamine release was involved in the pathogenesis of the lung damage in GF-fP patients (11). It is, however, possible that the immune complexes can mediate the release of other vasoactive amines, which could also be responsible for the allergic-inflammatory reactions.…”

“…In a previous study we have found that in vitro formation of immune complexes induced a complement-mediated release of histamine in these patients (11). By incubating P. aeruginosa standard antigens in the presence of 10% of the patients' sera, histamine release from basophils was obtained in 50% of the GF-(-P patients, whereas no release was observed when sera were complement-inactivated.…”

“…In contrast to the complement-dependent histamine release (11), no change in serotonin release was observed after heat inactivation of serum, indicating that complement activation is not involved in the release of serotonin. Finally, fractionation of the serum from GF-fP patients demonstrated that the serotonin releasing activity was dependent on the presence of the immunoglobulin fraction, which contained specific antibodies against P. aeruginosa.…”

“…Chronic P, aeruginosa lung infection in cystic histamine liberation assay was found to be defibrosis (CF) patients is characterized by a pendent on the presence of complement (11). pronounced antibody response and immune…”

In vitro Standardization of Basophil Histamine Release

“…Precise information of lhe causative agent, evaluation of the degree of allergy and of the improvement by immunotherapy (12) and furthermore, estimation of blocking antibodies (11). The basophil histamine release has been found useful in the diagnosis of house dust, mite, animal dandruff, pollen and mould fungi (15). Investigations are now being made in our laboratory for testing drugs (6), foods, bacterial antigens (15) and autoimmune allergies (4) for diagnostics of type I reactions.…”