Regulation of ongoing IgE antibody responses with minute doses antigen.

Repeated challenge of egg albumin-immunized Hooded Lister rats with a tiny amount of antigen presents a stimulus not only to effector cells for an IgE response but also to a related class-selective suppressive mechanism which eventually becomes predominant. The results obtained suggest that IgE responsiveness is abrogated by exposure to an antigen dose which is several orders of magnitude lower than required for the regulation of antibody of other classes.