Serum IgE and IgG antibodies to tetanus toxoid and candidin in immunodeficient children with the hyper-IgE syndrome.

Serum IgG and IgE antibodies directed against tetanus toxoid and candidin were measured using a solid-phase radioimmunoassay in seven patients with the immunodeficiency syndrome with hyper-IgE. In parallel, six normal children, three normal adults, and eight patients with or without elevated serum IgE (including atopic diseases, Candida infections, and active schistosomiasis) were studied. Serum IgG antibodies to tetanus toxoid and candidin were present in the hyper-IgE patients in concordance with their immunization history. High concentrations of IgE antibodies against both antigens were found in the immune hyper-IgE patients but not in the controls. This suggests that elevated IgE antibody responses in the hyper-IgE syndrome results from a primary defect of IgE class regulation rather than an abnormal or deficient antibody response.