Immunoglobulin-E In The Feces Of Children And Adolescents From Some Tropical And Subtropical Countries

Eighteen of 27 individuals, aged from 6 months to 19 years (mean 5 years, 7 months), from countries in the tropics or the subtropics had either intestinal parasitic infestations or intestinal enteropathogenic bacterial infections or both. Fourteen of those with intestinal pathogens had detectable concentrations of IgE in their fecal extracts, ranging from < 0.5 to 420 IU/ml extract (mean 33 IU/ml). This rate of occurrence was significantly higher than the number of IgE-positive fecal extracts in a group of 54 healthy nonallergic Norwegian children (p < 0.001), but did not differ from that of a group of 40 allergic children (p > 0.20). The individuals with intestinal helminthic infection had the highest fecal IgE concentrations. Of the 9 individuals who did not have any demonstrable intestinal pathogen, low concentrations of IgE could bc detected in feces from only 2, which did not differ from the rate in the healthy Norwegian controls. The concentrations of IgE in the feces of the subjects from tropical/subtropical regions correlated linearly with the corresponding serum concentrations of IgE (r = 0.69; p < 0.001). The results indicate that the combined load of intestinal pathogens, including helminths, protozoa, and enteropathogenic bacteria, may stimulate IgE production in the gut.