Charcot-Leyden crystals are slender, hexagonal, bipyramidal crystals formed predominantly from eosinophil but also from basophil granules composed of a single protein of 17,400 daltons of lysophospholipase activity. It has been identified in a variety of body fluids and tissues in human tissues and secretions in association with eosinophilic inflammatory reactions, asthma, myeloid leukemias, and allergic, parasitic, and other diseases. In this report, we describe a child with bronchial obstruction and subsequent atelectasis caused by Charcot-Leyden crystals containing fibronous material who was treated with flexible bronchofiberscope to remove it.
Asthma ; Basophils ; Body Fluids ; Child ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid ; Lysophospholipase ; Pulmonary Atelectasis

PURPOSE: Chlamydia pneumonia infection causes chronic recurrent infection, and is related to a broad spectrum of respiratory disease, and the specific antibody titer increases with age. As the interest in correlation between Chlamydia pneumonia infection and asthma has been recently increased, significant correlation with nonatopic asthma in adults has been proved, and in children the study results by using molecular biological techniques such as PCR and culture of patient's serum or nasal aspirate have been reported. We investigated the association between Chlamydia pneumonia infection and asthma with serum Chlamydia pneumonia specific antibody by ELISA of asthma patients who visited the hospital. METHODS: We collected the sera from patient group who visited the pediatric department of Yonsei University Medical Center to be diagnosed as asthma and from control group who had no evidence of asthma, respiratory or infectious disease. Centrifused sera were kept in -20 degrees C refregerator. To detect the serum Chlamydia pneumonia specific IgG and IgA of patient and control groups, we used ELEGANCE Chlamydia pneumonia IgG ELISA and ELEGANCE Chlamydia pneumonia IgA ELISA (Bioclone, Varrickville, Australia) kits. RESULTS: Serum Chlamydia pneumonia specific IgG and IgA ELISA were performed on patient group (55 males, 45 females) and control group (28 males, 29 females). The mean ages of patient and control groups were 6.8+/-2.8 and 6.3+/-3.4 years each and there was no significant difference. Positive rate to IgG in patient and control groups was 23.0% and 17.5% each (P=0.34). Positive rate to IgA in patient and control groups was 24.0% and 14.0% each (P=0.22). Positive rate to IgG and IgA in patient and control groups was 21.0% and 8.8% each (P=0.047). CONCLUSION: There was significant correlation between Chlamydia pneumonia infection and childhood asthma by the result of serum Chlamydia pneumonia specific IgG and IgA ELISA of patient and control groups.
Academic Medical Centers ; Adult ; Asthma* ; Child ; Chlamydia* ; Communicable Diseases ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin G ; Male ; Pneumonia* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

Conjunctivitis of allergic origin is associated with a diversity of clinical presentation. The common features include pronounced itching, a milky conjunctival appearance, a stringy or ropy discharge & papillary hypertrophy of the tarsal conjunctiva in severe cases, and a family history of allergy. The pathogenesis of ocular allergy involves multiple mechanisms, which lead to mast cell degranulation & the release of chemical mediators. The current therapy of ocular allergy involves elimination of the offending allergen, modulation of the immune system, & pharmacologic inhibition of chemical mediators. We are reporting 5 cases of severe allergic keratoconjunctivitis.
Conjunctiva ; Conjunctivitis ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hypertrophy ; Immune System ; Keratoconjunctivitis ; Mast Cells ; Pruritus