Allergy
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Carica papaya L. is a fruit yielding tree, wildly grown or cultivated in the tropics and subtropics. Its pollen grain has been reported to be airborne and cause immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated hypersensitivity. ⋯ Carica papaya tree contributes significantly to the aeropollen and aeroallergen load of the suburban outskirts of Calcutta metropolis, India. The pollen extract contains an important IgE-reactive protein component of 100 kDa molecular weight with esterase activity.
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Eosinophilic pneumonias (EP) encompass a wide spectrum of lung diseases characterized by peripheral blood eosinophilia (>1 x 10(9) eosinophils/l) and/or alveolar eosinophilia (>25%). Blood eosinophilia may be lacking, as in the early phase of idiopathic acute EP, or in patients already taking oral corticosteroids. EP may present with varying severity, ranging from almost asymptomatic infiltrates to the acute respiratory distress syndrome necessitating mechanical ventilation. ⋯ Apart from the treatment of specific causes when possible, corticosteroids remain the cornerstone of symptomatic treatment for eosinophilic disorders, usually with a dramatic response, but frequent relapses when tapering or after stopping the treatment. The adjunction of immunosuppressants to corticosteroids is necessary in patients with CSS and poor prognosis factors. Imatinib has recently proven effective in the treatment of the myeloproliferative variant of the HES.
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Cow milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most common food allergies in childhood. Patients with CMA present with a wide range of immunoglobulin (Ig)E- and non-IgE-mediated clinical syndromes. Limited information is known about the specific humoral and cellular responses to cow milk proteins in these various forms of CMA. ⋯ There is a distinct pattern of humoral antibody response in the different forms of CMA. Patients with IgE-mediated CMA have an elevated polyisotypic response to cow milk protein. The relative lack of specific IgG4 production in patients with enterocolitis syndrome may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. In general, caseins appear to be the predominant allergen in patients with CMA.