Functional Activity of Airway Eosinophils in Allergic Disease

Segmental allergen challenge: Briefly, this procedure will be done during a bronchoscopy. Two airway tubes of the lung will have about 1 teaspoon of allergen put in it while the scope is wedged in an airway tube segment. The allergen will stimulate this portion of the airway tube to produce eosinophils. The scope will then be removed. The bronchoscopy will be repeated two days later to collect lung fluid and biopsy samples from the parts of the lung where the allergen solution was placed.