Physiology and pathology of eosinophils: Recent developments: Summary of the Focus Workshop Organized by DGAKI.

Harald Renz,Ulrike Raap,Francesca Levi‐Schaffer,Hans‐Uwe Simon,Nan Zhang,Eckard Hamelmann,Thomas Werfel,David Voehringer,Johannes Ring,Claudia Berek,Christian Taube,Peter Valent,Claus Bachert,Sabine Ploetz

doi:10.1111/sji.13032

Abstract

Over the last century, eosinophils have been regarded ambiguously either as 'friends' or 'foes'. Recent developments have greatly enhanced our understanding of the role and function of eosinophils in health and disease. Pathogenic eosinophilic inflammation can lead to severe diseases in various organs, such as the gastrointestinal tract, airways, heart and skin. In a 2-day focus workshop of the German Society for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (DGAKI), the state of the art was discussed and practical recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of eosinophilic diseases, with a particular focus on new biologics, such as anti-interleukin 5 and anti-interleukin 5R, were derived.

Highlights

Eosinophilic granulocytes are among the most distinctive cells in human blood, mainly due to the bright colour given by eosin, an aniline dye first used in 1877 by Paul Ehrlich[1] for the differentiation of white blood cells
The first eosinophils appear in the GI tract already during foetal development, long before the gut is colonized by the microbiota
Eosinophils are evolutionarily present from the early vertebrates.[96]