Specific serum IgE antibodies to bacterial antigens in allergic lung disease.

A radio-allergosorbent test (RAST) to measure specific IgE antibodies in man to whole bacterial cells of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae was developed to investigate different well-defined lung diseases (chronic bronchitis, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), bronchial asthma allergic rhinitis, cystic fibrosis) and also in urticaria as compared with non-atopic blood donors. In addition, total IgE values and skin prick tests were assessed in these patients. The ABPA group gave the highest specific IgE RAST scores to all three bacteria, whilst the chronic bronchitis and cystic fibrosis groups also gave raised RAST scores with H. influenzae. There was a positive correlation between the patients' Sta. aureus and Str. pneumoniae immediate-type skin reactions and their RAST scores and total serum IgE concentrations, but there was only a low incidence of immediate-type skin test positivity to H. influenzae.