SUPPURATIVE PAROTITIS IN CHILDREN

To the Editor .—The recent original article, "Suppurative Parotitis in Children" by Drs. David and O'Connell (Amer J Dis Child 119 :332-335, 1970), prompts us to report an interesting observation in a patient with a similar problem. A 7-year-old girl with allergic rhinitis has experienced four episodes of parotitis during the last six months. Alpha and gamma streptococcus were isolated from purulent material expressed from the parotid gland. IgA from the left parotid gland, measured by the electroimmunodiffusion technique during an asymptomatic period, exceeded 16 mg/100 ml, and IgG exceeded 13.75 mg/100 ml. These levels of salivary immunoglobulins are higher than those determined by one of us (G.W.B.) in a series of normal children and children with allergic diseases. The significance of the elevated salivary immunoglobulins in this patient with recurrent parotitis is unknown. Studies in a large number of patients might aid in determining the role of the