Variation with season and with polymerized ragweed immunotherapy in IgE against ragweed antigen E in plasma and eluted from the basophil surface in patients with ragweed pollenosis

Sixteen patients with ragweed pollenosis were studied immediately before and after the 1979 ragweed season with measurement of total plasma IgE, specific plasma IgE against ragweed antigen E (IgE-a-AgE), molecules of IgE-a-AgE eluted per basophil, total antibody binding of AgE (blocking antibody), and maximum percentage histamine release in response to AgE. Thirteen received immunotherapy with polymerized ragweed and the measurements were repeated just before and after 1980 ragweed season. The patients kept symptom score diaries for each ragweed season. With season before immunotherapy, plasma IgE-a-AgE and total IgE rose. The ratio of specific to total IgE has been demonstrated to correlate with the IgE-a-AgE molecules eluted per basophil. This ratio, molecules of IgE-a-AgE eluted per basophil, and histamine release did not change. With immunotherapy, there was a significant decrease in symptom scores and a marked increase in blocking antibody. Specific IgE in plasma remained the same as total IgE fell from October 1979 to July 1980. Thus, there was a modest increase in ratio and in the number of IgE-a-AgE molecules eluted per basophil. With these changes, there was no alteration of histamine release. With season, after immunotherapy, there was not significant change in any parameter measured.