Elevated levels of IgE antibodies to ascaris and mite antigens in Papua New Guinea.

Levels of IgE as well as specific IgE antibodies to ascaris and mite have been studied in two groups in Papua New Guinea (PNG), patients with primary liver carcinoma (PLC) and normal blood donors, and in two groups in Japan, normal subjects and asthmatic patients. A radioallergosorbent test was used to measure IgE antibodies to ascaris and mite antigens. Much higher levels of IgE were found in the Papua New Guinean subjects than the normal Japanese subjects. Also levels of IgE antibodies to ascaris were much higher in Papua New Guineans than in the Japanese subjects. Though similar results were observed in IgE antibodies to mite, difference between normal Papua New Guineans and normal Japanese was small, whereas difference between the patients with PLC in PNG and the normal Japanese subjects was very large. Highest levels of IgE antibodies to mite were detected in Japanese with asthma. No correlations were observed among IgE levels, levels of IgE antibodies to ascaris and levels of IgE antibodies to mite. It is concluded that both ascaris and mite IgE antibodies contribute the very high levels of IgE seen in Papua New Guineans, but many other factors may be operative.