Comparison between skin-sensitizing antibody titers and leukocyte sensitivity measurements as an index of the severity of ragweed hay fever

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Abstract

The ability of two techniques, in vitro measurements of leukocytic sensitivity to ragweed antigen E and P-K titrations of skin-sensitizing antibody (SSA), have been compared in regard to their ability to predict the clinical severity of ragweed hay fever in 24 allergic patients. The former proved to be more accurate and the correlation with the degree of patient symptomatology was highly significant. The level of SSA was observed to increase following environmental exposure to ragweed pollen. A similar effect was noted in vitro, in that the leukocytes of some patients which had lost the ability to release a high percentage of their total histamine were observed to undergo a partial or complete recovery of this ability subsequent to the ragweed season.

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Supported by Grants AI 07290, AI 04866, and AI 05780 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

American College of Physicians Research and Teaching Scholar.

∗∗

Recipient of a research career development award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

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