Fibroin allergy. IgE mediated hypersensitivity to silk suture materials.
Delayed-type hypersensitivity with granulomatous lesions to silk sutures is rather rare. Yet, braided silk sutures often act as a non-immunologic foreign-body and cause a granulomatous inflammatory reaction years after surgery. We report here a case of recurrent granulomas with remarkable infiltration of eosinophils that may have resulted from an IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reaction to silk fibroin, a component of the braided silk suture. Under normal circumstances exposure to fibroin is rather rare. Therefore, the present patient may have developed this reaction to the silk sutures used in a previous surgery.
Kurosaki
S
S
Department of Otolaryngology, Nippon Medical School, Kanagawa, Japan.
Otsuka
H
H
Kunitomo
M
M
Koyama
M
M
Pawankar
R
R
Matumoto
K
K
D005349:Fibroins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis*; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D047011:Silk; D013537:Sutures / Q000009:adverse effects*
D019476:Insect Proteins; D047011:Silk; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D005349:Fibroins