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IgE and protective immunity to helminth infections

It is now nearly 30 years since Bridget Ogilvie published her paper in Nature* on reaginic antibodies in helminthinfected animals. Not only was this the first description of such antibodies occurring naturally in animals as a result of infection, the data summarized showed a significant correlation with aspects of protective immunity in both trematode (Schistosoma) and nematode (Nippostrongylus) infections. Dr Ogilvie concluded her paper with the words: ‘it may well be that reagin-like antibodies are responsible for immunity to helminths in many species of animals.’ In the intervening years an enormous literature has accumulated on IgE and parasitic infections. Claims and counterclaims that IgE is or is not involved in protective responses have each been supported by experimental and field data, and there is still no consensus, despite the recent publication of a number of significant papers. It seems timely to publish two articles from parasite immunologists actively interested in IgE which summarize some of the arguments for and against a protective role for this intriguing isotype.