Allergen specific IgE detection

IgE is a kind of mammallian immunoglobin which is synthisized by plasma cells. For a normal adult individual, the levels of IgE in serum are only 0.05% of the Ig concentration. IgE was discovered in 1966-7 by two groups (Ishizaka's and Johansson-Bennich) independently. There are some evidences that support the theory that  IgE may be beneficial in fighting gut parasites such as Schistosoma mansoni, however, there is still no final conclusion for the IgE's contribution for the mammals.

What attracts the most attention to the IgE is its critical role in the responses to allergens, which will always induce the type I hepersensitivity. IgE binds the allergen and activate the mast cells via FcεRI, leading to the degranulation.

The most helpful therapy is the desensitization therapy, which require the identification of the allergen. Skin or blood test have been proved to be efficient methods. Once the allergen has been identified, the patients can be desensitized specifically.