Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology最新文献

Background and objectives: α-Gal syndrome is characterized by specific IgE (sIgE) antibodies to the carbohydrate galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal) and delayed onset of allergic symptoms after ingestion of mammalian meat. While tick bites are assumed to mediate sensitization, the immune response to tick bites has not yet been investigated. To investigate the peripheral immune response to tick bites in humans over time.

Methods: In a longitudinal cohort study, immunological reactions associated with tick bites (Ixodes species) were analyzed within 1 day (V1), 2 weeks (V2), 1 month (V3), and 3 months (V4) after the occurrence of a bite. sIgE, sIgG, and sIgG subclass levels, as well as 10 cytokines, were quantified. Deep immune phenotyping was performed using mass cytometry.

Results: A total of 4 controls and 10 patients were bitten by a tick and followed up over 3 months. None of the controls developed sIgE to α-Gal, and sIgE increased in all patients from V1 until V2/V3, as did IL-8 levels. We noted a significant increase in CD19+ B cells and B-cell subpopulations, as well as a decrease in γδ CD56+ T cells in patients between V0 and V1. At V1, frequencies of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and γδ CD56+ T cells were lower in patients than in controls.

Conclusion: Our study provides evidence of significant changes in several immune cell populations in α-Gal sensitized patients, along with increased levels of IL-8 and sIgE. This is the first exploratory study to investigate longitudinal peripheral immune profiles in patients and controls bitten by ticks.

Background: Knowledge of the effectiveness of house dust mite (HDM) sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma associated sleep disorders remains incomplete. A noninterventional study was conducted to assess the effect of the standardized quality (SQ) HDM SLIT tablet on safety and symptoms in adults with respiratory allergies caused by HDM. The study also assessed the status of insomnia and daytime sleepiness in patients with AR and/or asthma-associated sleep disorders treated with the SQ HDM SLIT tablet.

Methods: This was a 12-month multicenter, longitudinal, and prospective study. Participants started the SQ HDM SLIT tablet for moderateto-severe HDM-induced AR that was persistent despite the use of symptom relieving medication or HDM-induced asthma-associated sleep disorders that were not well controlled with inhaled corticosteroids and were associated with mild-to-severe HDM-induced AR. Sleep symptoms were measured using the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS).

Results: A total of 1526 adult patients were enrolled, and 1483 were eventually included in the analysis. At baseline, 41.5% of patients reported sleep disorders; of these, 77.0% had insomnia and 28.9% experienced excessive daytime sleepiness. Insomnia was significantly more frequent among patients with uncontrolled AR (83.1%) than among those with controlled AR (52.6%) (P<.0001). Over time, 48.3% and 59.7% of patients, respectively, reported an improvement greater than the minimal clinically important difference in the ISI and ESS scales.

Conclusion: In patients with HDM-induced AR and/or asthma-associated sleep disorders, an improvement in subjective insomnia and sleepiness was observed after 1 year of treatment with the SQ HDM SLIT tablet in a real-life setting.