To determine whether IgE in the middle ear represents a passive transudate from the serum or may be produced within the middle ear itself, paired effusion and serum from 18 atopic children with otitis media with effusion were tested by micro-ELISA for specific IgE to 12 allergens. Elevated effusion concentrations of specific IgE were present in 83.3% (15 of 18) of atopic patients, but only 30% (64 of 214) of the serum antibodies appeared in the effusion. The data show that in atopic children with otitis media with effusion, there is no relation between a patient's serum and effusion level of IgE for specific antibodies (P < 0.001), suggesting that IgE in middle ear effusion is not a transudate but more likely reflects an active localized process in atopic patients.
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