• E Gadermaier, J Staikuniene, S Scheiblhofer, J Thalhamer, M Kundi, K Westritschnig, I Swoboda, S Flicker, and R Valenta.
• Division of Immunopathology, Department of Pathophysiology and Allergy Research, Center for Pathophysiology, Infectiology and Immunology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna General Hospital, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, Vienna, Austria.
• Allergy. 2011 Sep 1; 66 (9): 1174-82.

BackgroundSubcutaneous injection immunotherapy (SCIT) is considered as antigen-specific and disease-modifying treatment with long-lasting effect.MethodsWe used a panel of recombinant grass pollen allergens for analyzing allergen-specific IgE, IgG(1) -IgG(4) , IgM, IgA, and light-chain (kappa, lambda) responses in grass pollen-allergic patients who had received one course of injection immunotherapy (SCIT) with an aluminum hydroxide-adsorbed grass pollen extract or only anti-inflammatory treatment. Serum samples were analyzed before and after 5 months of treatment as well as after 5 years.ResultsAfter 5 months of SCIT but not of anti-inflammatory treatment, IgG(1) > IgG(4) > IgG(2) > IgA antibody responses using both kappa and lambda light chains specific for major grass pollen allergens (Phl p 1, Phl p 5, Phl p 6, Phl p 2) increased significantly, whereas specific IgM or IgG(3) levels were unaltered. Allergen-dependent basophil degranulation was only inhibited with SCIT sera containing therapy-induced allergen-specific IgG antibodies. Likewise, decreases in Phl p 1- and Phl p 5-specific IgE levels and significant (P<0.001) reduction in symptom and medication scores were found only in the SCIT group but not in the group of patients receiving anti-inflammatory treatment. After 5 years, allergen-specific IgG antibody levels in the SCIT group had returned to baseline levels and there was no significant difference regarding symptoms between the SCIT and non-SCIT groups.ConclusionThe results from our observational study demonstrate that only SCIT but not anti-inflammatory treatment induces allergen-specific IgG and reduces boosts of allergen-specific IgE production but that one SCIT course was not sufficient to achieve long-term immunological and clinical effects.© 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

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