Eosinophilia of lung and blood associated with injury to the mucociliary escalator and
excessive shedding of bronchial epithelium are hallmarks of both allergic and nonallergic
asthma. In vitro, the eosinophil granule major basic protein (MBP) is toxic to helminths and to
mammalian cells, including human respiratory epithelium. The MBP-mediated damage to
the respiratory epithelium consists of desquamation and frank destruction of ciliated cells.
Increased sputum MBP concentration is a good marker for asthma, and patients treated for …