ABSTRACT

This chapter investigates whether the levels of the eosinophil-active cytokines granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), Interleukin(IL)-3 and IL-5 were selectively elevated in helminth-infected patients by examining their PBMC stimulated ex vivo. The ability to detect and quantify the eosinophil-active cytokines in clinical and biological samples is facilitated by the use of specific and sensitive immunoassays. A major goal was the selection of several anti-hGM-colony-stimulating factor antibodies that neutralized and were capable of recognizing spatially distinct GM-CSF epitopes for immunoenzymetric assay development of both natural and recombinant material. Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome is another disease that has been investigated for IL-5 involvement. The eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome (EMS) was recognized in late 1989 as an illness associated with consumption of L-tryptophan produced by a single manufacturer. EMS is characterized by peripheral blood and tissue eosinophilia, myalgias, arthralgias, and cutaneous manifestations, including eosinophilic fasciitis associated with elevated expression of the genes for transforming growth factor beta 1 and type VI collagen and polyneuropathy.