IgE antibodies against bovine serum albumin in a case of eosinophilic gastroenteritis

Allergy. 1993 Oct;48(7):542-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1398-9995.1993.tb01112.x.

Abstract

Eosinophilic gastroenteritis is a disease characterized histologically by an eosinophilic infiltration of the gut. The cause of this disease remains unclear, although both food allergy and food intolerance have been implicated in its pathogenesis. We report the case of a 22-year-old man in whom gastrointestinal symptoms first appeared in childhood, with involvement of mucosa and muscularis layers of stomach and bowel. He presented high IgE blood levels, and his prick test was positive to bovine, pig, and lamb sera. Immunoblots from calf, pig, and lamb sera, incubated with the patient's serum and revealed by autoradiography, demonstrated the presence of a 65-kDa protein band that was recognized by IgE antibodies but not by IgG. This band corresponded to bovine serum albumin, while IgE did not show reactivity with human albumin. These data suggest a possible role for IgE-mediated hypersensitivity mechanisms in the pathogenesis of eosinophilic gastroenteritis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Cattle
  • Eosinophilia / etiology
  • Eosinophilia / immunology*
  • Food Hypersensitivity / complications
  • Gastroenteritis / etiology
  • Gastroenteritis / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immunoblotting
  • Immunoglobulin E / analysis*
  • Immunoglobulins / analysis
  • Intradermal Tests
  • Male
  • Meat / adverse effects
  • Precipitin Tests
  • Serum Albumin / immunology
  • Serum Albumin, Bovine / immunology*
  • Sheep
  • Swine

Substances

  • Immunoglobulins
  • Serum Albumin
  • Serum Albumin, Bovine
  • Immunoglobulin E