Faecal biomarkers for diagnosis and prediction of disease course in treatment-naïve patients with IBD.

BACKGROUND: Faecal biomarkers can be used to assess inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). AIM: To explore the performance of some promising biomarkers in diagnosing and predicting disease course in IBD. METHODS: We included 65 patients with treatment-naïve, new-onset Crohn's disease (CD), 90 with ulcerative colitis (UC), 67 symptomatic controls (SC) and 41 healthy controls (HC) in this prospective observational study. We analysed faecal samples for calprotectin (FC), myeloperoxidase (MPO), human neutrophil lipocalin (HNL), eosinophil cationic protein ECP and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) and compared markers among groups. We assessed the diagnostic capability of biomarkers with receiver operating characteristic curves. Clinical disease course was determined for each patient with IBD and analysed the association with biomarkers by logistic regression. RESULTS: All markers were elevated at inclusion in patients with IBD compared with HC (p < 0.001) and SC (p < 0.001). FC (AUC 0.85, 95% CI: 0.79-0.89) and MPO (AUC 0.85, 95% CI: 0.80-0.89) showed the highest diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing IBD from SC. The diagnostic ability of biomarkers differed between IBD subtypes with the highest performance for FC and MPO in CD. The diagnostic accuracy was further improved by combining FC and MPO (p = 0.02). Levels of FC, MPO and HNL at inclusion were predictive of an aggressive disease course with MPO showing the strongest association (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides new insight into the diagnostic and prognostic capability of neutrophil and eosinophil biomarkers in IBD and suggests that MPO, alone or in combination with FC, may add to the diagnostic power of faecal biomarkers.

Fecal and Serum Granulocyte Protein Levels in Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Their Relation to Disease Activity.

INTRODUCTION: Neutrophilic calprotectin (CP) and myeloperoxidase (MPO), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) are suggested proxy markers for gut inflammation. However, there are insufficient supporting data for MPO, NGAL, and EDN. METHODS: In a cross-sectional investigation including adult patients, we studied the ability of CP, MPO, NGAL, and EDN, measured in fecal and serum samples, to differentiate between inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and to predict disease activity. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients had ulcerative colitis (UC), 38 had Crohn's disease, and 100 patients had IBS. The protein concentrations were higher in patients with IBD in the fecal samples ( P < 0.001) and the serum samples ( P < 0.01), and they correlated weakly (r s ≤0.38) between the sample sources. Fecal EDN was higher in patients with Crohn's disease compared with UC (1.79 vs 0.50 mg/kg, P = 0.016). The neutrophilic proteins were superior to EDN in the fecal samples for differentiating between patients with IBD and IBS. Fecal MPO (cutoff: 0.86 mg/kg) had the highest sensitivity (74.7%) and specificity (84.6%). Combining fecal CP and MPO increased the sensitivity to 82.3% (specificity: 73.6%). NGAL (cutoff: 196.9 µg/L) showed the best discriminating performance in serum (sensitivity: 62.9%; specificity: 68.0%). Serum NGAL (cutoff: 272.4 µg/L) predicted active disease in UC (Partial Mayo Score ≥2) with a sensitivity and specificity of 57.1% and 83.3%, respectively. DISCUSSION: Fecal MPO and serum NGAL are promising novel biomarkers, in addition to fecal CP, for differentiating between IBD and IBS. Serum NGAL may also predict disease activity in patients with UC.

Comparison of 18F-FDG PET-MR and fecal biomarkers in the assessment of disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic performance of fecal biomarkers and 18F-fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emmision tomography-MR (PET-MR) in the assessment of disease activity in patients with ulcerative colitis. METHODS: This study was conducted under the framework of a single-center clinical trial (clinicaltrials.gov [NCT03781284]). N = 50 participants were enrolled. Fecal samples were collected before bowel preparation. All patients underwent whole-body 18F-FDG PET-MR followed by ileocolonoscopy within 24 h. Diagnostic performance of five fecal biomarkers (calprotectin, lactoferrin, polymorphonuclear leukocyte elastase, S100A12 and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin), MR morphological parameters (MRmorph), diffusion-weighted imaging and PET in detecting active disease determined by Rachmilewitz endoscopic activity index (EAI) were evaluated and compared with each other. Correlations between fecal biomarkers, PET and endoscopy were calculated. RESULTS: According to EAI, n = 38 patients presented with endoscopically active disease (16 mild, 19 moderate and 3 severe). All five biomarkers, PET and MRmorph could differentiate endoscopically active disease from endoscopic remission without significant difference regarding their operating characteristics (accuracies between 0.673 for calprotectin and 0.898 for lactoferrin). In predicting endoscopically moderate to severe disease, PET showed the highest diagnostic performance (accuracy = 0.857) compared to calprotectin and lactoferrin (accuracy = 0.633 and 0.735). PET had also the strongest correlation with endoscopy (ρ = 0.685, p < 0.001), while within fecal biomarkers the levels of lactoferrin and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin correlated significantly with EAI (ρ = 0.423 and 0.528, both p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both fecal biomarkers and PET-MR were excellent non-invasive diagnostic tools in the assessment of disease activity in ulcerative colitis. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Both fecal biomarkers and PET-MR parameters are able to predict endoscopically active disease with comparable diagnostic performance. PET had the highest correlation with endoscopy and outperformed fecal biomarkers in differentiating moderate to severe from mild disease.

Blind esophageal brushing offers a safe and accurate method to monitor inflammation in children and young adults with eosinophilic esophagitis.

Patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) require frequent evaluation of mucosal inflammation via endoscopy. Instead of endoscopy, mucosal evaluation in adults with esophageal cancer and candidiasis is achieved using a cytology brush inserted through a nasogastric tube (NGT). We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study in children and young adults scheduled for routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) where in Phase 1, we performed esophageal brushing through the endoscope under direct visualization and in Phase 2, we inserted the brush through a Cortrak® NGT prior to endoscopy. Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) measured by ELISA in the samples extracted from brushes was validated as the sensitive biomarker. We collected 209 esophageal brushing samples from 94 patients and we found that EDN in brushing samples collected via EGD or NGT was significantly higher in patients having active EoE (n = 81, mean EDN 381 mcg/mL) compared with patients having gastroesophageal reflux disease (n = 31, mean EDN 1.9 mcg/mL, P = 0.003), EoE in remission (n = 47, mean EDN 3.7 mcg/mL, P = 0.003), or no disease (n = 50, mean EDN 1.1 mcg/mL, P = 0.003). EDN at a concentration of ≥10 mcg/mL of brushing sample was found to accurately detect active EoE. NGT brushing did not cause any significant adverse effects. We concluded that blind esophageal brushing using an NGT is a fast, less invasive, safe, and well-tolerated technique compared with EGD to detect and monitor EoE inflammation using EDN as the sensitive biomarker.

Expressions of Eotaxin-3, Interleukin-5, and Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin in Chronic Subdural Hematoma Fluids.

Eosinophils induce inflammation by releasing cytokines and cytotoxic granule proteins. Infiltration of eosinophilic granulocytes occurs in the outer membrane of chronic subdural hematomas (CSDHs). Eosinophils play an important role in the growth of CSDHs. However, the manner in which eosinophils accumulate within CSDH fluid remains undetermined. In the current study, we assessed the expression of eosinophil chemoattractants in CSDH fluids according to growth stage of CSDHs and examined the correlation between the two. CSDH fluids were obtained from 38 patients during trepanation surgery. Ecalectin, eotaxin-3, interleukin-5 (IL-5), and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. For use as controls, serum samples were collected from 5 healthy adults, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from 5 adults with unruptured aneurysms. The percentage of eosinophils (%eosinophil) in CSDH fluids was calculated using Giemsa staining. Concentrations of ecalectin, eotaxin-3, IL-5, and EDN were nearly equivalent in serum and CSF samples; however, their concentrations were high in CSDH fluids. In particular, ecalectin and EDN levels in CSDH fluids were significantly higher than those in serum and CSF. Levels of eotaxin-3, IL-5, EDN, and %eosinophil were significantly higher in laminar type of CSDH, whereas that of ecalectin was not. The correlations between eotaxin-3 and IL-5, IL-5 and EDN, and EDN and %eosinophil were statistically significant (p < 0.01). Our data suggest that eotaxin-3 is a chemoattractant of eosinophils. IL-5 induces the activation of eosinophils subsequent to degranulation of EDN into CSDH fluids. These factors may serve as novel therapeutic targets for managing CSDH.

Elevated fecal levels of eosinophil granule proteins predict collagenous colitis in patients referred to colonoscopy due to chronic non-bloody diarrhea.

OBJECTIVE: Colonoscopy with biopsy sampling is often performed to detect collagenous colitis (CC) and lymphocytic colitis (LC) in patients with chronic non-bloody diarrhea. However, the diagnostic yield is low and incurs high costs. Fecal calprotectin (FC) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) indicate intestinal inflammation in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). In CC, elevated fecal levels of eosinophil protein X (EPX) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) have been reported. We aimed to evaluate if F-EPX, F-ECP, FC, and F-MPO could predict the diagnostic outcome in patients with chronic non-bloody diarrhea referred to colonoscopy. We also evaluated serum (S) EPX and ECP in this regard. METHODS: Of 67 included patients, 63 (94%) underwent colonoscopy with biopsy sampling. Fecal EPX, F-ECP, FC, F-MPO, S-EPX, and S-ECP were analyzed. RESULTS: Diagnostic outcome: normal: n = 46 (73%), CC: n = 9 (14%), LC: n = 4 (6%), UC: n = 2 (3%), CD: n = 2 (3%). Higher levels of F-EPX and F-ECP were found in CC compared to a normal diagnostic outcome (p = 0.01). No change was noted in any of the fecal markers in LC. When all of the fecal markers were normal the probability of a normal diagnostic outcome was 92%. We found no differences in S-EPX and S-ECP between the groups. CONCLUSION: Elevated F-EPX and F-ECP could predict CC. None of the fecal markers predicted LC. Serum-EPX and S-ECP are not useful for the diagnosis of CC, LC, UC, or CD. With normal levels in all of the analyzed fecal markers, there is a low probability of a pathologic diagnostic outcome.

Extracellular Eosinophil Granule Protein Deposition in Ringed Esophagus with Sparse Eosinophils.

BACKGROUND: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) remains difficult to classify because of varying presentations. Not uncommonly, patients present with symptoms of esophageal dysfunction and have esophageal changes on endoscopy resembling EoE but without >15 eosinophils/HPF. Patients with low numbers of eosinophils in esophageal biopsy specimens may have esophageal changes and symptomatic disease brought about by eosinophil granule protein deposition without recognizable intact cells. AIM: To determine whether extracellular eosinophil granule protein deposition is present in the esophagi of patients with low eosinophil numbers who have clinical symptoms and characteristic endoscopic esophageal changes of EoE including ringed esophagus (RE). METHODS: Esophageal biopsy specimens were studied from eight EoE patients with >15 eosinophils per high power field (HPF) and nine patients with RE (<15 eosinophils/HPF). The specimens were analyzed for eosinophil granule proteins, major basic protein 1 (eMBP1) and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN), by indirect immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Both EoE and RE showed positive EDN and eMBP1 extracellular deposition; control esophagus showed minimal or none. Comparing EoE and RE, extracellular EDN and eMBP1 were similar except that EDN in EoE was greater in the distal esophagus. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the importance of assessing eosinophil granule protein deposition in esophageal disease with potential eosinophil involvement. Persistent/progressive esophageal changes may be brought about by eosinophil granule proteins despite low numbers of intact cells. The meaning of "resolution" in EoE may need to be redefined based on numbers of esophageal eosinophils, extracellular eosinophil granule protein deposition, and subsequent clinical course of patients.

Intestinal permeability and fecal eosinophil-derived neurotoxin are the best diagnosis tools for digestive non-IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy in toddlers.

BACKGROUND: Food allergy is a common problem in France involving 4%-6% of toddlers. As opposed to IgE-mediated cow's milk allergy (CMA), delayed-onset CMA, mostly, non-IgE-mediated, remains difficult to diagnose in toddlers. Our study assessed the diagnostic performances of intestinal permeability and of fecal markers, in comparison with the standard allergic work-up in children referred for CMA diagnosis. METHODS: Twenty-five consecutive children, mean age (standard deviation) 6.3 months (4.8) with digestive and/or extra-digestive manifestations suggesting CMA, were prospectively studied based on a standardized allergic work-up (specific cow's protein IgE and IgG, skin prick test, atopy patch test and oral open cow's milk challenge) and digestive work-up including fecal microbiota analysis, intestinal permeability determination (urinary lactitol/mannitol ratio) and fecal markers measurement, i.e., α(1)-antitrypsin, tumor necrosis factor-α, calprotectin, ß-defensin2, secretory IgA and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were calculated for all markers in order to define cut-off levels. RESULTS: The cow's milk challenge was positive in 11 children and negative in 14. The global test performances, i.e., the number of true positive+negative cases/the total number of cases, were 76% for intestinal permeability; 72% for fecal EDN; contrasting with atopy patch test, 68%; IgE, 60%; skin prick test, 55% and IgG, 52%. CONCLUSIONS: In this routine diagnosis allergy work-up for CMA in toddlers, the best efficacy was seen for intestinal permeability compared to IgE, IgG, skin prick test and atopy patch test. Moreover, fecal EDN in a single spot sample displayed a similar performance.

Increased numbers of eosinophils, rather than only etiology, predict histologic changes in patients with esophageal eosinophilia.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: It can be a challenge to differentiate individuals with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) from those with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). We investigated differences in histologic and eosinophil patterns and numbers of mast cells between patients with these disorders. METHODS: We performed histologic analyses and immunohistochemical assays for eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN), major basic protein (MBP), and tryptase, using biopsy samples from 10 patients with GERD (positive results from a pH study and response to proton pump inhibitors), Barrett's esophagus, or EoE (negative results from a pH study and positive response to budesonide). Patients were matched for degree of eosinophilia. RESULTS: Samples from patients with EoE, GERD, or Barrett's esophagus had similar increases in concentrations of eosinophils. Patients with GERD or EoE did not differ in amount of basal zone hyperplasia, microabscesses, spongiosis, eosinophil distribution, maximum eosinophils/high-power field (HPF), or composite histologic scores. Samples from all 3 groups had high levels of EDN and MBP; the levels of eosinophil products were correlated (ρ = 0.93). Extracellular staining for EDN was greater than intracellular staining (2.67 of 3 vs 1.86 of 3); levels tended to be greater in samples from patients with EoE than GERD (P = .05) or Barrett's esophagus (P = .06). Detection of EDN correlated with peak numbers of eosinophils/HPF (ρ = 0.6 for intracellular and extracellular staining). Peak numbers of tryptase-positive mast cells/HPF were significantly greater in samples from patients with EoE than GERD or Barrett's esophagus (P = .01 and .005, respectively). The Spearman correlation between eosinophil and mast cell density was a ρ value of 0.2. CONCLUSIONS: Biopsy samples from patients with GERD and EoE, matched for esophageal eosinophilia, have similar changes in histology and levels of EDN and MBP, whereas mast cells from patients with EoE have higher levels of these products. The presence of esophageal eosinophils, rather than etiology, could be the most important determinant of epithelial response.

IL-5 receptor α levels in patients with marked eosinophilia or mastocytosis.

BACKGROUND: IL-5 plays a central role in the development and maintenance of eosinophilia (EO) and eosinophil activation in a wide variety of eosinophilic disorders. Although IL-5, IL-3, and GM-CSF can modulate the expression of IL-5 receptor α (IL-5Rα) on eosinophils in vitro, little is known about soluble and surface IL-5Rα levels in vivo. OBJECTIVE: To assess soluble and surface IL-5Rα levels in patients with EO and/or mastocytosis. METHODS: Surface IL-5Rα expression was assessed by flow cytometry in blood and/or bone marrow from subjects with EO (n = 39) and systemic mastocytosis (n = 8) and from normal volunteers (n = 28). Soluble IL-5Rα (sIL-5Rα) level was measured in a cohort of 177 untreated subjects and correlated with EO, eosinophil activation, and serum tryptase and cytokine levels. RESULTS: IL-5Rα expression on eosinophils inversely correlated with EO (r = -0.48; P < .0001), whereas serum levels of sIL-5Rα increased with the eosinophil count (r = 0.56; P < .0001) and serum IL-5 (r = 0.40; P < .0001) and IL-13 (r = 0.29; P = .004) levels. Of interest, sIL-5Rα level was significantly elevated in patients with systemic mastocytosis without EO. Although sIL-5Rα levels correlated with serum tryptase levels in these patients, eosinophil activation, assessed by CD69 expression on eosinophils and serum eosinophil-derived neurotoxin levels, was increased compared with that in normal subjects. CONCLUSIONS: These data are consistent with an in vivo IL-5Rα regulatory pathway in human eosinophils similar to that described in vitro and involving a balance between soluble and surface receptor levels. This may have implications with respect to the use of novel therapeutic agents targeting IL-5 and its receptor in patients with EO and/or mastocytosis.

Clinical relevance of IgG antibodies against food antigens in Crohn's disease: a double-blind cross-over diet intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Environmental factors are thought to play an important role in the development of Crohn's disease (CD). Immune responses against auto-antigens or food antigens may be a reason for the perpetuation of inflammation. METHODS: In a pilot study, 79 CD patients and 20 healthy controls were examined for food immunoglobulin G (IgG). Thereafter, the clinical relevance of these food IgG antibodies was assessed in a double-blind cross-over study with 40 patients. Based on the IgG antibodies, a nutritional intervention was planned. The interferon (IFN)gamma secretion of T cells was measured. Eosinophil-derived neurotoxin was quantified in stool. RESULTS: The pilot study resulted in a significant difference of IgG antibodies in serum between CD patients and healthy controls. In 84 and 83% of the patients, respectively, IgG antibodies against processed cheese and yeast were detected. The daily stool frequency significantly decreased by 11% during a specific diet compared with a sham diet. Abdominal pain reduced and general well-being improved. IFNgamma secretion of T cells increased. No difference for eosinophil-derived neurotoxin in stool was detected. CONCLUSION: A nutritional intervention based on circulating IgG antibodies against food antigens showed effects with respect to stool frequency. The mechanisms by which IgG antibodies might contribute to disease activity remain to be elucidated.

Fecal markers of inflammation used as surrogate markers for treatment outcome in relapsing inflammatory bowel disease.

AIM: To evaluate fecal calprotectin (FC) as a surrogate marker of treatment outcome of relapse of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and, to compare FC with fecal myeloperoxidase (MPO) and fecal eosinophil protein X (EPX). METHODS: Thirty eight patients with IBD, comprising of 27 with ulcerative colitis (UC) and 11 with Crohn's disease (CD) were investigated before treatment (inclusion), and after 4 and 8 wk of treatment. Treatment outcomes were evaluated by clinical features of disease activity and endoscopy in UC patients, and disease activity in CD patients. In addition, fecal samples were analyzed for FC by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and for MPO and EPX with radioimmunoassay (RIA). RESULTS: At inclusion 37 of 38 (97%) patients had elevated FC levels (> 94.7 microg/g). At the end of the study, 31 of 38 (82%) patients fulfilled predefined criteria of a complete response [UC 21/27 (78%); CD 10/11 (91%)]. Overall, a normalised FC level at the end of the study predicted a complete response in 100% patients, whereas elevated FC level predicted incomplete response in 30%. Normalised MPO or EPX levels predicted a complete response in 100% and 90% of the patients, respectively. However, elevated MPO or EPX levels predicted incomplete response in 23% and 22%, respectively. CONCLUSION: A normalised FC level has the potential to be used as a surrogate marker for successful treatment outcome in IBD patients. However, patients with persistent elevation of FC levels need further evaluation. FC and MPO provide superior discrimination than EPX in IBD treatment outcome.

Adenoviral-vector mediated transfer of HBV-targeted ribonuclease can inhibit HBV replication in vivo.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-targeted ribonuclease (HBV-TR) is a fused protein of HBV core protein and a ribonuclease, human eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (hEDN). Our previous results showed that HBV-TR could effectively inhibit HBV replication in vitro. To test whether HBV-TR can inhibit HBV replication in vivo, we constructed a recombinant adenoviral vector expressing HBV-TR (Ad-TR) and used it to treat HBV-transgenic mice. Immunohistochemical staining showed that TR was expressed at varied levels in different tissues of Ad-TR-treated mice. Serum HBsAg concentration was decreased by 64.8% for the Ad-TR-treated mice compared with empty adenoviral vector-treated control mice. The amount of HBV-DNA in the livers of the Ad-TR-treated mice was 0.74 x 10(7) copies/mug of genomic DNA while the amount of HBV-DNA in the livers of the empty adenoviral vector-treated control mice was 2.86 x 10(7) copies/mug of genomic DNA. Serum HBV-DNA of Ad-TR-treated mice was also decreased by 71.4% compared with empty adenoviral vector-treated control mice. In addition, for some Ad-TR-treated mice, the expression of HBsAg in the liver cells turned negative. No discernible adverse effects were observed for Ad-TR-treated mice. Taken together, our results indicated that adenovirus mediated transfer of HBV-TR can inhibit HBV replication in vivo.

Assessment of Schistosoma mansoni induced intestinal inflammation by means of eosinophil cationic protein, eosinophil protein X and myeloperoxidase before and after treatment with praziquantel.

Faecal concentrations of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), eosinophil protein X (EPX) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured in extracts of stool samples obtained from a cohort of people (n=182) living in Bugoigo, a fishing community on the Eastern shore of Lake Albert, Buliisa District, in North Western Uganda where Schistosoma mansoni is endemic. Samples were collected before treatment and 5, 15, 20 and 52 weeks after treatment with praziquantel. Significantly increased levels of faecal ECP and EPX were found in S. mansoni infected individuals (n=155) compared to the levels found in stools from non-infected (n=27) (median values ECP: 11.3 microg/g vs. 5.9 microg/g, P=0.005, and EPX: 413.5 ng/g vs. 232.2 ng/g, P=0.045). An increased level of MPO was also found among the infected individuals compared to the non-infected 11.6 mu/g vs. 5.3 mu/g, P=0.07). Significant but weak correlations were found between faecal egg counts and faecal concentrations of ECP and EPX. Treatment with praziquantel induced a significant decline in both ECP and EPX, but only a non-significant reduction in faecal MPO. Following reinfection and despite of very low infection intensities, the protein levels increased significantly reaching the pre-treatment level (ECP and EPX) or levels significantly higher than the pre-treatment levels (MPO). This response pattern may imply a rebound effect during reinfection following treatment and resolution of immune regulatory immunosuppressive mechanisms in function during the chronic infection.

[Is the seric eosinophil cationic protein level a valuable tool of diagnosis in clinical practice?]. / Le dosage de la protéine cationique des éosinophiles est-il un marqueur utile pour l'interniste?

SCOPE: The eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) is one of the mediators released during eosinophil activation. These cells are effector cells taking part into the Th2-lymphocyte dependent allergic inflammation. Assaying ECP concentrations in blood and sputum may be useful in evaluating allergic inflammation (asthma and rhinitis). This summary considers the value of measuring ECP levels for the diagnosis of various diseases where an eosinophil-mediated tissue inflammation plays a role. CURRENT SITUATION AND SALIENT POINTS: Levels of eosinophil cationic protein have been determined in nasal secretions, sputum, gastric secretions, feces and serum. They are increased during seasonal allergic rhinitis and perennial rhinitis, allergic asthma and atopic dermatitis. They are also increased in various gastro-intestinal disorders, some of which are associated with IgE: eosinophil intestinal diseases (esophagitis, gastro-enteritis and colitis), gastro-intestinal food allergy and intestinal parasitoses. Finally, they are increased in non IgE-dependent disorders: non allergic asthma with aspirin intolerance, respiratory infections, sinonasal polyposis, Churg-Strauss disease and idiopathic hyper-eosinophilia (HES) syndrome. PERSPECTIVES: Assaying serum ECP could help in the diagnosis of several diseases. With parasitic disease the pathogenic progression may be accurately assessed, when serological tests are less indicative. ECP assay may point to non allergic asthma, either Fernand-Widal syndrome or Churg-Strauss disease. As for gastro-intestinal disorders, it indicates an eosinophilic tissue reaction. In the event of isolated hypereosinophilia, ECP assay may clarify whether it is benign or tending towards idiopathic HES. The assay of peroxidase and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) should be also considered.

Neonatal eosinophilic pustulosis.

A pre-term, 7-week-old male infant presented with a recurrent pustular eruption involving his face and scalp with associated peripheral blood eosinophilia. Skin biopsy revealed spongiosis with numerous dermal and epidermal eosinophils without predominant follicular involvement. Immunohistology showed deposition of eosinophil granule major basic protein and eosinophil derived neurotoxin in the dermis and epidermis. He responded to conservative management. We discuss the differential diagnosis of neonatal eosinophilic pustular eruptions and suggest the term 'neonatal eosinophilic pustulosis' to best describe our case.

Detection of inflammatory markers in stools from patients with irritable bowel syndrome and collagenous colitis.

OBJECTIVE: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and collagenous colitis (CC) share chronically recurring symptoms of altered bowel habits associated with abdominal pain or discomfort. The aims of the present study were to investigate whether inflammatory markers could be detected in faeces from patients with IBS and CC, and to elucidate whether such analyses could be used as non-invasive tools to distinguish between these disorders. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Stool samples were obtained from 18 patients with CC, 46 patients with IBS and 20 healthy controls (HC). Eosinophil protein X (EPX), myeloperoxidase (MPO), tryptase, interleukin-1 beta (IL-1beta) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) were measured in supernatants from processed faeces using immunoassays. RESULTS: EPX levels were enhanced in faeces from CC patients (median 3.8 microg/g (0.47-16.2)) compared to patients with IBS (0.44 microg/g (0.25-1.8)), p<0.001, and HC (0.46 microg/g (0.21-1.3)), p<0.001. In addition, MPO was increased in CC patients (11.7 microg/g (2.0-124)) compared to IBS patients (1.7 microg/g (0.81-5.2)), p<0.01, and HC (2.5 microg/g (1.1-6.3)), p<0.05. Tryptase was found in 9/18 patients with CC, 6/46 with IBS and 1/19 HC. IL-1beta was only enhanced in 2/11 CC patients and TNFalpha was not detected in any sample. CONCLUSIONS: Increased levels of EPX, MPO and tryptase were observed in stools from collagenous colitis patients, whereas the levels in IBS patients did not differ from healthy controls. Our data suggest that faecal markers could be used as part of the clinical work-up to determine which patients should be biopsied and evaluated for collagenous colitis.