title: Cellular immunity and IgE levels in atopic patients.
abstract: Twenty young adult atopic patients and their matched controls were studied. Spontaneously generated and Con-A-induced suppressor T cell functions as well as Natural Killer (NK) activity against K-562 target cells, measured in a short-time 3H-thymidine uptake, were evaluated. Suppressor T cell activity in the patients was more than 2 SD lower than that found in the controls and there was, contrary to expectation, a direct correlation between suppressor function and serum IgE levels. Atopic patients showed a statistically significant lower NK activity than normal controls when related to a low IL-2 production. Both facts inversely correlated with the concentration of IgE in serum. We concluded that atopic patients' vulnerability to viral infections may be due to defective NK activity. Suppressor T cell function is abnormal in these patients. Both defects could be due to a faulty immunoregulatory helper function.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003208:Concanavalin A / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006969:Hypersensitivity, Immediate / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D012397:Rosette Formation; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D003208:Concanavalin A; D007073:Immunoglobulin E