Response of the human nasal mucous membrane to anti-human IgE serum.

The response of the nasal mucous membrane to anti-human IgE serum was examined. The application of anti-IgE sera to the nasal mucous membrane induced a nasal allergy-like symptom as well as nasal eosinophilia. This symptom was observed in the majority of nasal allergy cases and in some vasomotor rhinitis cases, while not in non-allergic normal persons. The nasal eosinophilia, however, increased not only in allergic patients, but in non-allergic persons in whom no nasal symptoms were induced. Such a nasal reaction was not induced with anti-IgA sera or anti-IgG sera. The character of the reaction was presumed to be specific to anti-IgE and was predominantly a reversed type anaphylaxis in the nasal mucous membrane. The sensitivity of the nasal mucous membrane to anti-IgE decreased in the course of the hyposensitization with house dust. The cause of this phenomenon was obscure.