T cell response to grass pollen allergens: Correlation with skin test reactivity and serum IgE levels

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Abstract
T cell proliferative responses to rye and Bermuda grass pollen allergens have been studied in a series of 51 atopic and 18 non-atopic subjects. Mean T cell responses were higher in the atopic group than in the non-atopic group (P < 0.001). and there was a strong correlation between the magnitude of reaction in the T cell assay and in the skin test (rye P < 0.001, Bermuda P < 0.05). A similar association was shown between T cell reactivity and serum levels of allergen-specific IgE (rye P < 0.05. Bermuda P < 0.05), but no relationship was found between serum allergen-specifie IgG levels and any other parameter studied, T cell reactivity was not found in three cord blood samples tested. Discordance between positivity for T cell responses and skin test reactions in some cases might reflect reactivity by T cell subsets that promote IgG antibody or cell-mediated responses without IgE antibody production. A precise knowledge of T cell recognition of grass pollen allergens will provide exciting new prospects for more effective and safer immunotherapy strategies for allergic diseases including asthma.

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