title: Immune mechanism of drug hypersensitivity.
abstract: Drug hypersensitivity reactions can lead to a great variety of different diseases. The main cause is a specific interaction of antibodies or T cells with a drug. In addition to the hapten concept, some drugs can bind directly to T-cell receptors and stimulate them. Based on recent investigation on different exanthemas, an extended classification of the Gell and Coombs type IV reaction is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Allergology, Clinic for Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology/Allergology, Inselspital, University of Bern, 3010-Bern, Switzerland. werner.pichler@insel.ch
authors.forename: Werner J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Pichler
mesh_terms: D000917:Antibody Formation; D003429:Cross Reactions; D003875:Drug Eruptions / Q000276:immunology; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell