Life Sciences Commons^™

Chlamydia Pneumoniae-Specific Ige Is Prevalent In Asthma And Is Associated With Disease Severity, David L. Hahn, Allison Schure, Katir K. Patel, Tawanna S. Childs, Eduard Drizik, Wilmore C. Webley

Wilmore C Webley

Background: Several Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp) biomarkers have been associated with asthma but Cp-specific IgE (Cp IgE) has not been investigated extensively. Our objective was to investigate Cp IgE in community adult asthma patients.

Methods: (1) Prevalence of Cp IgE (measured by immunoblotting) and Cp DNA (by polymerase chain reaction) in peripheral blood, and biomarker associations with asthma severity. (2) Case-control studies of Cp IgE association with asthma using healthy blood donor (study 1) and non-asthmatic clinic patient (study 2) controls.

Results: Of 66 asthma subjects (mean age 40.9 years, range 5–75, 59% male, 45% ever-smokers) 33 (50%) were Cp IgE …

The Prevalence And Identity Of Chlamydia-Specific Ige In Children With Asthma And Other Chronic Respiratory Symptoms, Katir K. Patel, Erica A. Anderson, Paul S. Salva, Wilmore C. Webley

Wilmore C Webley

Background Recent studies have confirmed the presence of viable Chlamydia in the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid of pediatric patients with airway hyperresponsiveness. While specific IgG and IgM responses to C. pneumoniae are well described, the response and potential contribution of Ag-specific IgE are not known. The current study sought to determine if infection with Chlamydia triggers the production of pathogen-specific IgE in children with chronic respiratory diseases which might contribute to inflammation and pathology.

Methods We obtained BAL fluid and serum from pediatric respiratory disease patients who were generally unresponsive to corticosteroid treatment as well as sera from age-matched control …