An increasing number of papers published recently suggest that high levels of serum IgE present in association with certain immune deficiency conditions and atopic disorders may be due to suppressor T lymphocyte subpopulation insufficiency. This led us to study the cause of high serum IgE levels in cases with ascariasis.

Serum IgE levels, the total number of eosinophils and peripheral T and B lymphocytes were studied in 21 children with ascariasis and in 17 controls. The peripheral T and B lymphocytes were enumerated by the rosette-formation test. The number of relative T lymphocytes was found to be lower in cases with ascariasis, but the number of absolute T lymphocytes in patients did not differ from those of the control subjects. No statistically significant correlation was found between the serum IgE levels and absolute T lymphocyte counts in the group with ascariasis.

Keywords: immunoglobulin E (IgE), ascariasis, T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, eosinophil