Hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome

Alternative names:

Job syndrome

Definition:

A suspected genetic defect that results in the production of high levels of immunoglobulin (IgE), causing serious skin infections and eczema.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Hyperimmunoglobulin E syndrome is also know as Job syndrome, after the biblical character Job whose faithfulness was tested by a lifelong affliction of draining skin sores and pustules. People afflicted have chronic severe skin infections and abscess formation. The sinuses and airways (including lungs) are frequently infected. Other sites of infection include bone and visceral abscesses. The most commonly involved bacteria is Staphylococcus aureus. Other common organisms are Streptococcus pneumoniae (bacterium), Hemophilus influenza (bacterium), Candida albicans (yeast), and the herpes virus (virus).