Localization of IgE in Adenoids and Tonsils: An Immunoperoxidase Study

An immunoperoxidase technique was applied to the localization of IgE in formaldehyde-solution-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. The content and distribution of IgE in tonsil and adenoid tissues from ten patients with histories of inhalant allergies and elevated serum levels of total and allergen-specific IgE were investigated. Compared with tissues from five nonatopic subjects, the tissues from atopic individuals were observed to harbor a much larger population of IgE-forming plasma cells. The profusion of IgE plasma cells in nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissue, observed in this study, furnishes strong anatomic evidence for a pathogenetic role of IgE in inhalant allergies. For cellular and tissue localization of IgE, the immunoperoxidase technique offers clear advantages over previously used immunofluorescence procedures. (Arch Otolaryngol 105:695-697, 1979)