Immunoglobulin E oligomers identified in blood components activate mast cells: relevance to anaphylactic transfusion reaction

Abstract

We identified high-molecular-weight IgEs as the mast cell-activating factors in the donor plasma. Results of analysis suggest that these IgEs were dimeric and trimeric and that they directly activated the transfusion recipient's mast cells by triggering the crosslinking of Fcε receptor I, thereby inducing an anaphylactic transfusion reaction.