[THE DISEASE OF JOB].

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: In 1966, Davis et al. coined the term "Job Syndrome", reporting on a new pediatric immunodeficiency disease characterized by "cold" staphylococcal abscesses. This term is widely used in association with several immunodeficiencies with very high levels of IgE, which are also known as "Hyperimmunoglobulin E Syndromes". The assumed similarity between the biblical disease of Job and the "new" immunodeficiency was probably due to the King James' classical translation of the Bible (in 1611), wherein the disease of Job (biblically termed as "Shin") was translated as "boils". However, the biblical word "Shin" is a general term for skin disease or dermatitis, and according to the Talmud, there are 24 different skin diseases called "Shin". New scientific data states that hyper-IgE syndromes are genetic and not acquired (as was in the biblical disease of Job). Therefore, in view of the stigma associated with the name and story of Job, it is recommended to abandon the name of "Job syndrome" and refer to the immune disorders by their genetic source, such as "STAT 3 disease" or "DOCK 8 disease".