Immunology and Allergy

Components of Training

Core Training

• The training emphasis is directed toward disorders of childhood and adolescence. Predominantly adult diseases such as dysproteinaemias and the lymphoproliferative disorders would receive less emphasis than the immunodeficiencies and the common allergic complaints of early life.
  
• Clinical skills, inpatient and outpatient expertise in the diagnosis and management of children with recurrent infections.
  
• Immunodeficiency disorders, their diagnosis and management.
  
• Allergic disorders, including appropriate investigations and management (a major component of training).
  
• Immunologic and allergic disorders involving the respiratory, haematopoietic, nervous systems, endocrine, collagen vascular and muscoloskeletal tissues.
  
• The paediatric rheumatologic disorders and the vasculitides.
  
• Malignant disorders of children from an immunologic perspective including immuno-suppression and the use of immunosuppresive agents, solid organ and bone marrow transplantation.
  
• Laboratory requirements. You are expected to be familiar with, but not necessarily practically competent in the main laboratory techniques. These include assessment of allergic disorders using;
  
  • total IgE
    
  • allergen specific IgE by RAST/CAP
    
  • skin prick/intradermal tests
    
  • assays of specific antibodies
    
  • assays of serum immunoglobulins
    
  • IgG subclasses
    
  • flow cytometry
    
  • lymphocyte
    
  • neutrophil function
    
• Knowledge is required also of assays of acute phase proteins and functional and immunochemical assays of complement components, cytokines and soluble cytokine receptors, as well as, you should have a working knowledge of immunodiffusion, agglutination, immunofluorescence, nephelometry, Elisa, RIA and molecular techniques used in the diagnosis of primary immune deficiencies. Additionally the principles of laboratory investigations and immunogenetics should be known. The knowledge of laboratory procedures should be at a level where you can appreciate the complexities of the tests that might be requested by a clinician and understand the interpretation of the results in a more complete manner.

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Assessment
Three project reports, one for each year of Advanced Training (using the guidelines for Advanced Training Projects), must be reviewed and approved by the JSAC.

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