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Pilot Analysis of the Immune Response to Fungal Antigens in Subjects Working in Humidity Damaged Houses
Professor of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology e-mail: Anja.Tiilikainen@oulu.fi

Abstract

Although the proportion of anti-mold IgG antibody producers was largely the same among different groups of subjects tested, the highest OD-readings in EIA technique were seldom seen in symptomless controls, but generally in association with any allergy of the "mold exposed" subjects or in patients referred to specialist analysis at the Oulu University Hospital outpatient clinic for oto-rhino-laryngology. Some subjects in each group were distinctly multi-immune ("responders" = R) and some just occasionally reactive ("low responders" = LR) against a panel of 12-16 mold antigens; of the 34 allergic subjects 6 were R and 3 LR. In vitro cultures of patient lymphocytes usually responded with a lower cytokine production to Aspergillus fumigatus antigen than to other mold antigens, in contrast to responses of lymphocytes from healthy controls. More often than not, R lymphocytes showed higher cytokine production than did LR lymphocytes; more frequently in healthy controls than in patients.