ABSTRACT
The function of eosinophils, which are a prominent cellular component of inflammatory, allergic, and immunologic reactions to antigen, is still veiled in obscurity despite more than a century of diligent research. Progress has been hampered in part because of a lack of clear understanding of the precise factors that induce an eosinophil reaction and a paucity of knowledge concerning the biochemical reactions of the enzymes carried by eosinophils. Although eosinophils are regarded as blood cells, their sojourn in blood vessels is relatively short, usually measured in minutes or at the most a few hours. "T" memory cells are involved in the transfer of both eosinophil and antitoxin responses to tetanus toxoid while "B" memory cells appear to be associated only with the humoral response. Eosinophils play a role in intercellular reactions and appear to form a link in the chain of transport for antigenic complexes between antigen-activated "T" memory cells and macrophages.
