Leukocyte phenotype changes induced by specific immunotherapy in patients with birch allergy

Background: the underlying mechanisms of allergen-specific immunotherapy (sit) are not fully understood objectives: the present study aimed to investigate how leukocyte phenotypes are affected by sit. methods: blood samples were taken from 10 patients with birch pollen-induced allergic rhinitis before,during,and immediately after sit further samples were obtained after 1 year and 3 years. all samples were analyzed by flow cytometry and leukocyte differentiation. results: sit caused a decrease in cell-bound immunoglobulin (ig) e on granulocytes,along with a corresponding increase in the high-affinity igg receptor. accordingly,a lower level of allergen-specific ige was found after 3 years. the treatment induced a decrease in neutrophil cd11b levels,a shift in monocyte subsets,and an increase in the number of activated t lymphocytes,manifested as an upregulation of cd69 and cd98,and an expansion of the cd4+cd25+ t-cell pool. conclusion: the present study shows that the clinical effects of sit are mirrored by systemic changes in cellular events and in antibodies,and offers new targets for immunomodulation. © 2010 esmon publicidad.