Nanotechnology in the basophil activation test.

Anaphylaxis is a serious, life-threatening, and immediate systemic hypersensitivity reaction (HR) induced by mast cell and basophil degranulation. The syndrome is a medical emergency, which must be diagnosed promptly to be treated with intramuscular epinephrine.1 Basophils are leukocytes that comprise less than 1% of the circulating white blood cells. They share similar features with tissue mast cells, such as expression of high-affinity immunoglobulin (Ig)E receptors and release of cytokines and inflammatory mediators when stimulated.