Clinical Immunology (Sixth Edition) - Chapter 45: Eosinophils and Eosinophilic Disorders

Eosinophils are rare multifunctional leukocytes best known as effector cells in allergic inflammation and parasitic helminth infection. That said, blood and tissue eosinophilia is associated with a wide variety of common and rare disorders, and eosinophilic infiltration leading to end-organ damage and dysfunction has been reported in most, if not all, tissues. The recent development of mouse models lacking eosinophils combined with the availability of novel therapeutic agents targeting eosinophils in humans have dramatically altered our understanding of the role of eosinophils in health and disease. After a short review of the basic biology of eosinophils and eosinophil activation, this chapter focuses primarily on the role of eosinophils in health and disease, including novel therapeutic approaches and their contribution to our understanding of the role that eosinophils play in homeostasis and pathogenesis.