Abstract
To determine if patients with Meniere's disease possess serum IgE specific for herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1, HSV type 2, Epstein-Barr virus, and/or cytomegalovirus. A modified radioallergosorbent test method was employed wherein each serum sample was processed with recombinant protein A to remove competing non-IgE antibodies, and HSV-1, HSV-2, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr viral proteins were used as potential antigens. Ten patients with long-standing active Meniere's disease were tested. Ten age- and gender-matched patients with allergic rhinitis but without Meniere's disease served as control subjects. IgE specific for HSV-1, HSV-2, Epstein-Barr virus, and/or cytomegalovirus was found in the serum sample of nine of 10 patients with Meniere's disease but only in four of 10 control serum samples. Of the positive subjects tested, seven patients with Meniere's disease were positive for IgE for at least three viruses compared with only two control subjects. (1) Most patients with Meniere's disease possess virus-specific IgE in their serum samples; (2) four viruses of the herpes family are capable of inducing such IgE-mediated sensitization; and (3) latent virus-specific, IgE-mediated inflammation may be an important factor in the initiation and/or sustenance of Meniere's disease.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Archives of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
