Cytokine Expression in CD3+ Cells in an Infant with Food Protein-Induced Enterocolitis Syndrome (FPIES)‎: Case Report

Abstract EN

Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a non-IgE-mediated food allergy characterized by severe vomiting, diarrhea, and often failure to thrive in infants.

Symptoms typically resolve after the triggering food-derived protein is removed from the diet and recur within few hours after the re-exposure to the causal protein.

The diagnosis is based on clinical symptoms and a positive food challenge.

In this study, we report a case of FPIES to rice in an 8-month-old boy.

We performed a double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC) to rice and we measured the intracellular T cell expression of interleukin-4 (IL-4); IL-10, and interferon γ (IFN-γ) pre-and post-challenge during an acute FPIES reaction and when tolerance to rice had been achieved.

For the first time we describe an increase in T cell IL-4 and decrease in IFN-γ expression after a positive challenge with rice (i.e.

rice triggered a FPIES attack) and an increase in T cell IL-10 expression after rice challenge 6 months later after a negative challenge (i.e., the child had acquired tolerance to rice) in an 8 month old with documented FPIES to rice.

A Th2 activation associated with high IL-4 levels may contribute to the pathophysiology of the disease.

On the other hand, T cell-derived IL-10 may play a role in the acquisition of immunotolerance by regulating the Th1 and Th2 responses.