Toxocariasis: a cause of hyper IgE and eosinophilia.

We present a patient with elevation of total serum IgE, eosinophilia and Toxocara exoantigen specific IgG and IgE antibodies (detected by ELISA and RAST, respectively). We ruled out atopy and other parasitic diseases common in our habitat (e.g., Echinococcus granulosus, Ascaris lumbricoides, Schistosoma mansoni). The patient was asymptomatic over the four years of the study, and the levels of total serum IgE, eosinophils and Toxocara exoantigen specific IgG and IgE remained high. Although at present, immunodiagnostic tests have a high sensitivity and specificity for toxocariasis, their value is limited. This is illustrated by the fact that in our patient these techniques could not distinguish between past and present infection.

[Diagnostic procedures in primary ciliary dyskinesia. The usefulness of nasal biopsy]. / Procedimientos diagnósticos en la discinesia ciliar primaria. Utilidad de la biopsia nasal.

Eight patients are studied who are suspected to have primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD). All cases presented from the first year of live repetitive respiratory infections, chronic cough, mucopurulent rhinorrhea, radiologic signs of sinusitis and one patient also presented situs inversus. Bronchiectasis were found in four cases, they were discarded in two cases, and in two other cases they could not be found nor discarded. The definite diagnosis was achieved by the study of the ultrastructure of the cilia by nasal biopsy. In three cases, nasal biopsy discarded the diagnosis of PCD and confirmed such diagnosis in other three cases. One case of PCD was diagnosed by a bronchial biopsy after two unsuccessful attempts to obtain a nasal sample containing ciliary epithelium. One case remains undiagnosed since after a nonvalid biopsy, we did not consider necessary to obtain another one given that the patient was asymptomatic during the last three years.