Department of Tropical Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishishinbashi, Minatoku, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan. naohiro@jikei.ac.jp
The best-known function of immunoglobulin E (IgE) is the initiation of allergic reaction. However, it does not make sense that IgE exists only for allergy, which is harmful for the body and does not have a beneficial role. In this article, we focus on IgE in Trichinella spiralis infection in rodents and humans, and discuss the possible roles of IgE in protection and pathogenesis.