An Improved Method to Visualize Eosinophils in Eosinophilic Esophagitis

We previously found in Giemsa-stained colorectal sections from IBD patients that eosinophilic granulocytes turned fluorescent when excited with indirect fluorescent light, while other inflammatory cells were non-fluorescent. We now studied with that method, the frequency of eosinophilic granulocytes in sections from patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EE). Cell counting was done in consecutive sections stained with Giemsa stain using indirect fluorescence light (G-IFL setting) and with hematoxylin-eosin using transmitted light (HE-TL setting) in 5 cases of EE and in 10 consecutive cases of reflux esophagitis (RE) grade 2. In EE 45.0 eosinophils/case (range 39-51) were recorded with the G-IFL setting but only 33.4 eosinophils/case (range 28-39) with the HE-TL setting (p<0.05). In RE cases, 3 eosinophils/case (range 2-4) were found with the G-IFL setting and 2 eosinophil/case (range 1-3) with the HE-TL setting. The G-IFL method is not only more sensitive in detecting eosinophils than the conventional HE-TL method but also quicker, since a differential cell counting is not necessary. The eosinophilic infiltration of the esophageal epithelium, initially considered to be a manifestation of eosinophilic gastroenteritis is today regarded as a distinct clinical entity.