Which type of leukocyte is known to increase during allergic reactions?

Eosinophils are a type of white blood cell that play a crucial role in the body's immune response, particularly during allergic reactions and parasitic infections. When an individual has an allergic reaction, such as to pollen or certain foods, the immune system overreacts to the allergen. This overreaction prompts the increased production and activation of eosinophils.

Eosinophils release various substances that help to mediate inflammation and combat the effects of allergens, thus making them a key player in the inflammatory response associated with allergies, such as asthma and hay fever. Their numbers typically rise in response to specific allergens due to their involvement in the regulation of inflammatory responses and their ability to directly interact with pathogens and other inflammatory mediators.

The other types of leukocytes, while important in various immune responses, do not have the same direct association with allergic reactions as eosinophils do. For instance, basophils also play a role in allergic responses by releasing histamine, but their numbers do not increase in the same way eosinophils do. Lymphocytes are primarily involved in adaptive immunity, while neutrophils are more associated with acute inflammation and bacterial infections rather than allergies. This specificity of eosinophils to allergic responses